To take a creative approach, doesn’t mean everything you do has to be brand new. The way I see it, it means you give yourself the freedom to do what works.

As the student ministry begins to take shape, it’s been important that we don’t settle and let tradition creep in just for the sake of it. Here’s what I mean:

Because we’re a young church (only 14 months old when I wrote this), we have a great advantage over most established churches. But the challenge is seeing it that way. Think of it this way, little companies don’t have the benefits of most big companies, but they still have plenty of benefits. They can move, flex, change and adapt faster. The decision making process is quicker. They can mobilize people faster. They’re relationally tighter. They aren’t bound by process. And that’s just the beginning.

The key is to begin to recognize what you have as a young student ministry. And the freedom to do what works, to be creative, is one of the greatest assets you have. Embrace the freedom as one of your greatest strengths.

I don’t think the decision is hard. I actually hear over and over from staff at larger churches, “you’re so lucky to be where you’re at.� They say it because so often they’re stuck in a rut that was set in motion 15 years ago by a guy with a goatee who thought it was an incredible idea to rock a Carmen CD while kids memorized the books of the Bible. No offense, but I think there might be a better way today. And if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, you should be getting excited.

What if you could poll 100 students at the local high school to find out what they want more than anything in a student ministry? (Please make sure you don’t word the question that way!) What would they say? What would you do about it? If the responses were to create a lounge to hang out, drink Mountain Dew all day and chill, would you even consider doing it? Why not?

I’m not saying to throw wisdom to the wind. God doesn’t expect us to just go where the wind takes us, conversely, He expects us to be intentional about staying at the forefront of how to reach a generation that is slowly slipping away. And if reaching them looks different than it ever has, and it will, are you willing to go for it?

Again, I’m not saying ignore the past. There is something to be said about ignoring the polls and working the principles, but to be exclusively one way or the other only leaves room for missed opportunities. Find the creative balance of doing what works. Figure out what translates from the past, talk to students, pray that God gives you your creative vision and go do it.

Students are always going to be waiting for us to give them a reason to live a life for God, so let’s go do it. Be creative, do what works.

Larry Hubatka - Student Pastor

Filed under: Creative Elements, Student Ministry | Comments Off

As the Student Pastor at Elevation, here’s my take on getting a student ministry started.

When you’re getting the student ministry off the ground, you’ve got a thousand different models and hundreds that work great. A lot of them will probably work great for you too. At least, you could make them work great if you just looked at how it was done and did the same thing.

But is that really what you’re going for? To just re-create a program that someone else has created and duplicate it right here at home? Maybe it is, and it might not be that bad of an idea, but I want to put this out there before you make the call.

God is creative, not stupid. He’s innovative, not boring. He’s original, not prideful. My point…whatever you end up doing, chances are, and someone has already done something similar. Someone is probably thinking the same way you are. God is probably laying the vision on the heart of someone else as we speak. Not everything we do is going to break a new mold, and it doesn’t have to.

So don’t think you’re the only one that has the miracle cure for the best way of reaching students in the most progressive manner in the history of cheese-smelling 6th grade boys…you’re not.

Now that that’s out of the way, the way we got the student ministry started at Elevation Church, was to identify what it actual was that God had called us to. A lot of different things could work, but we knew that God had something specific in mind. And in a lot of ways it was simple for us, because what we do as a student ministry, lines up with what we do as a church. We do everything possible so those far from God will be filled with life in Christ. The only difference is, we recognize who we’re trying to reach at the student ministry level (6-12 grade) and we take the appropriate approach to accomplish that.

What we’ve decided is students need to recognize that God has gone before them and prepared a path for them. And if they can catch even a glimpse of what that is, we believe it changes them in a way that few things can at this age. If Prov 29:18 is true, and it is, students without vision will begin to run wild. But students who actually begin to grasp what it is that God has for them will grow into the next generation of godly young men and women to reach their schools, their communities and their cities.

So, back to getting started, for us, it was critical that we had a laser-precise mission to accomplish that would permeate everything we do as a student ministry. Is it for every single student? Probably not. Is our church for everyone? Probably not. But we do believe that when it comes to reaching those far from God, we’re doing everything we can, because that’s what God has placed in our hearts to do.

After all, there’s a reason you do surgery with a laser and not a flashlight.

Larry Hubatka - Student Pastor

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I can honestly say that being the Assistant to the Lead Pastor has been the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. And the most rewarding.
And here’s why: No one can comprehend what the lead pastor of a church carries—spiritually, emotionally and physically.
And therefore in order for an assistant to be beneficial to the ministry, I believe she/he must be called to the position, not because it’s cool or the office hours are good.

And for this reason, there are some things that God is teaching me about the needs of a pastor. And I’ll share one major concept that shapes every single day for me and for my pastor.
Simply put, a pastor doesn’t need drama. So, I have quickly learned that an assistant’s greatest task is to continually be one step ahead. To look for problems before they become problems and creatively find solutions before the situation ever gets to the pastor.
To anticipate needs before they ever become needs.
To challenge anything and everything that may hinder the pastor from doing only the things he is called to do. Because a great assistant frees up the leader to do whatever it is that he does best.

This takes time and continuous learning, but one of the greatest needs of a lead pastor is for someone to re-direct the issues that don’t need his attention and handle situations before they become problems.
This may mean getting creative, being flexible and having a tenacity to just get it done.
I choose to look at every situation I encounter as a challenge, never just another task on my to-do list. This keeps me pushing through each day to tackle a new challenge. I listen intently to how my pastor makes decisions so I can begin to think like he does. I watch to see how he handles situations so I will be able to handle those things on behalf of him. I appreciate all of the time he gives to me to invest in me and teach me how to best represent him and serve him.

So, realistically what does bringing solutions look like?
Like confirming an appointment after you have confirmed the appointment.
Like instead of asking the pastor a hundred questions, finding someone else who can help you get what you need to know.
Like managing his schedule with pinpoint accuracy.
Like handling a bad situation before it ever reaches the ears of the pastor.
Like screening each and every phone call, letter and email before it reaches the desk of the pastor.

Why? Because everything matters. Because the more an assistant can carry, the more the pastor can lead, teach, study, pray, dream, cast vision and be creative. And I want my pastor to be completely freed up to do what he does best and chase the vision God has placed in his heart.

Lori Black - Assistant to the Lead Pastor

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Good design goes a long way when you’re developing print materials for your church. But it quickly can become all for naught if your print piece comes back from the printer with misspelled word or misplaced period. Like a pimple on prom night, it doesn’t matter how pretty your dress is – everyone else is only seeing the zit. Without good proofing, one glaring error that would have taken just a second to fix now seemingly negates hours of quality design work.

Developing a good proofing system is key to keeping these mistakes to a minimum. As a designer, I can definitely attest to the fact that, after you’ve been working on a piece for a while, the words themselves become secondary to their placement on the page. So before you send it off to the printer, here are a few tips that hopefully will keep you from explaining there isn’t a Sunday massage this week, but rather a Sunday message.

• Begin by taking a break and allow yourself some time between designing and proofing. Get up and walk away from your computer screen or work on another project. Come back to it when you have a fresh set of eyes and a clear head.
• Print out the piece. Errors are easier to catch and easier to highlight when its on paper.
• Look for left-out words by reading the piece out loud, focusing on every word as you read. Don’t let your eye move ahead until you spot each word. Also make sure you don’t have duplicates of any words.
• Develop an assigned group of detailed proof-readers (2-3) who look over everything that goes out.
• To minimize spelling errors, look at each word in the piece individually. Move from the end of each line back to the beginning to prevent skimming.
• Assign or accept the responsibility of being the “last set of eyes� that sees a piece before it is sent out the door. This develops accountability and responsibility if errors are found.
• Hopefully these tips will save you some sleepless nights waiting for your brochure to come back from the printer, only to find out that ushers will not seat latecomers, but instead eat them.

Ryan Hollingsworth - Graphic Designer

Filed under: Creative Elements, Marketing | Comments Off