Stepstool

Our son Max is just 4 years old.  He is the not only the youngest, but the smallest member of our family.  I am not sure he realizes either of those things.  As far as he is concerned, he is able, and has the right, to do anything anybody else does.  He plays soccer with his big brother.  He does flips with his big sister.  He injects his ideas into conversations and is a part of the flow of our family.  At 4 years old and just over 3 feet tall, he has limitations.  He does a pretty amazing job navigating life even with these passing limitations.

For example, he doesn't fully understand how to operate the TV remote,  but he does know how to tell you exactly where to find his favorite episodes of "Dude Perfect" on YouTube through the AppleTV.

He also cannot reach the sink, or the orange juice on the top shelf of the fridge; but he has solutions for both….his stepstool.  This is not a traditional stepstool but a family heirloom; a wood and leather footrest that is the perfect companion for a 4-year-old who is learning to overcome barriers.

Without fanfare he runs and drags his stepstool to the sink, or the fridge, or the cupboard where there are Pop Tarts.  Max has learned that his ability to get to the things he wants isn't always up to everybody else.  There are things he can do to put himself in a place of success by just employing some simple tools.  Max has learned the value of his stepstool.

What stepstools are you introducing to your students?  What tools are you giving them to help them reach their goals?  More importantly, what opportunities are you giving them to discover their own solutions?  I could easily just grab the Pop Tarts for Max, but it's just too fun wathcing him solve that problem himself.  Plus, he is building his barrier busting muscle, and that will serve him well in the years to come.  Sometimes, unlocking the greatness in the students we serve simply means putting some resources in the room and then challenging them to greater success. Then, when they grab the stepstool and achieve their dreams, we can cheer them on.

Lead Strong!

Strike Precisely

Nearly 15 years ago,  I read George Barna's amazing book, "Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions" for the first time.  This thought-shifting book would change my entire approach to ministry to students.  So many of the things I read resonated strongly in my heart and have continued to influence the way I encourage and instruct next generation leaders today.  If you have not read this book, I cannot recommend it enough.  It is a MUST read!

In one particular chapter, Barna uses a simple phrase that inspired the model on which I lean the most, the "Clay Vs. Stone" model.  He simply said that by the time a student reaches the age of around 12, their moral and spiritual foundation is set in stone and that they will spend the rest of their lives chiseling away at what they already believe.  

The mental picture of chiseling away at a stone was precisely how I was feeling at the time I first read this book.  So much of what we do in equipping and developing young leaders requires the work of a hammer and chisel.  This is also the foundational premise behind the KUEST Solution.  The idea is that we have a chance to shape and mold young leaders BEFORE they become set in stone; while they are still clay.  The clay / stone analogy has become the basis for all of our efforts and resources.  

What I want to encourage you with today is the idea of shaping the stone.  Much of our work is done with students whom we did not have the chance to influence when they were younger.  They come to us in their middle to late teen years, which means they come pre-formed.  Their thoughts, attitudes and habits have already been molded and, for the most part, "set in stone." We then have the challenge of chiseling in an effort to unlock their greatness.  For some, their experiences have been so rough and unshaped that there is little semblance of a foundation from which to work.  Some have been given great direction and only have some rough edges here and there to tend to.  The majority, for now, are in-between; not completely unformed, but not greatly formed either, though this trend is drifting, if not fully leaning, toward the unformed.  There is little argument that the challenges our students face early in life are quite severe in today's reality.  In a recent conversation with a local school administrator, they were quick to recognize that teaching staff today are more social worker than classroom educator.  

In the church, we face similar challenges, which underscores the point and encouragement of this post.

As sculptors we must strike precisely.  

There are three things I want to briefly highlight about sculpting that apply directly to our work:

1 : The subject starts out rough.  No block of granite, slab of marble or boulder of stone comes pre-fashioned into a finished product.  All of them have little form and lack a refined shape.  It should be no surprise that some of our students are going to be in rough shape.  Given the choice, we would love for them to come to us in better condition, but it is rarely the case.  Unless you have a strong leader in the more formidable years - and I hope you do - you are likely going to be working with a largely formless, unrefined slab of a young leader.  That rocks!! (pun intended!)

2 : The sculptor sees the finished product before the first blow of the hammer.  Great sculptors can see the full potential of the stone - and they see it before they begin their work.  This is not stuff we can make up as we go along.  Clear vision of a desired outcome is critical to success.  Leaders who are in it for their own glory are likely to do more harm than good as they hammer away without regard to what's inside the stone.  Great sculptors have often been quoted as saying that they are not the ones sculpting the stone, rather, they are simply unlocking what is already inside.

3 : Every hammer strike is done with precision.  The care and passion behind a masterpiece is evident in the strikes that sometimes barely register.  Sculpting is not always about a jack-hammer mentality; it is about very precise strikes that have the exact desired effect.  Great leaders understand that the wrong strike can ruin the whole stone.  Following the leading of the Holy Spirit in unlocking the greatness inside our students is of paramount importance.  Today you may be required to bring the hammer, tomorrow may require a gentle brushing away of lose pieces here and there.  This is why I say, "Strike Precisely."

Yes, as our students age, there is less chance to simply add a clump of clay and mold a little more.  As they become more set in stone, we will need to chisel and hammer and brush away debris.  Along the way, we will be helping to unlock the greatness God has designed into every of one of the masterpieces He has asked us to sculpt, so Strike Precisely.

 

Protect the Root

In the movie, "A Walk in the Clouds," Keanu Reaves plays the boyfriend of a woman whose family owns a centuries-old and vast vineyard.  At the apex of the movie, the vineyard is accidentally set ablaze and is completely destroyed.  We are led to believe all hope is lost and that the run of generations harvesting from these lands is now over.

As the family looks across the scorched earth, the grandfather alerts them to go and check the ancient root.  The root was the original vine from which the whole vineyard had begun.  It was protected inside a fenced-in area and preserved for moments just like these.  The family finds the root intact and celebrates.  They understand the journey ahead of them is one of replanting and cultivating and will require generations to rebuild, but they have hope because that root was preserved.

As we look across our world today, it often appears scorched.  Burned out by dysfunctional relationships, burdened with overwhelming poverty and addiction and lacking in true spirituality.  If we were to just keep reflecting on the state of society, we might feel all is lost.  Yet there is hope!

That hope takes form in the root of our children.  If we can make a concentrated, focused effort to teach and train them in truth, engage them in purpose and guide them with wisdom; If we can empower moms and dads and caretakers to establish a faith-filled home, we can see this vast vineyard thrive once again.  

The journey ahead of us is long and filled with intensely hard work.  But we are equal to the task.  This can, and must be, done.  If you are engaged in this mission already - thank you! And KEEP GOING!  If you have yet to engage, find a way.  Join your kids ministry team.  Give to the work of your local church.  Support KUEST World.  Encourage young parents and share the hope of Christ.  Get involved with local organizations that seek to mentor students.  By protecting and replanting the root, we can begin rebuilding our future.

3 Myths and Musts of Impacting Students | Post 1 of 3

Over the next three posts, I want to look at 3 Myths and Musts of Impacting Students.  Each Myth is connected to, and in many cases, limiting the power of the Musts.  My hope is to help you navigate past resource-depleting, energy-zapping, ineffective practices and unlock greater effectiveness in your impact with students.  In an attempt to keep each post brief, we will look at 1 Myth and Must each week.  Let's begin.

MYTH 1 | IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME…

Probably some of the most deceptive and misused words in Hollywood history, "If you build it, they will come" from the movie "Field of Dreams" is a MYTH.  To be honest, I wish this Myth were true.  If it were true, our ministries would be packed to the walls with students that are being eternally impacted.  Instead, the results we often get for the effort we put in can be demoralizing.  This is largely due to the fact that we have bought into this Myth; If we build it, they will come.  

The idea is that somehow, just because we took the time to build something, everybody will be excited and rush to see this new and awesome thing we have built.  We believe in the back of our minds that the place will be packed, the resource will be gobbled up, the rage about our new idea will be world-changing; ALL SIMPLY BECAUSE WE BUILT IT!

Consider these Mythbusting questions:

• How will they come if they don't know about it?
• Will they come if it doesn't connect with them?
• Will they come if their friends are not coming?

Just because we build something [A new outreach, a new building, a new process, a new social media resource] does not mean that anyone will connect to any of those things.  But there are ways we can turn this MYTH into a MUST and get results from the opportunities we build.

Here is where the MYTH becomes MUSTS:

1. Know Before You Build :  The research that goes into a product before it ever gets to market is astounding.  In 2013, Samsung spent $13.4 Billion dollars are Research and Development.  Before one product ever hits the floor, they spend nearly 7% of their revenue just to understand the needs of their customers and how their products will be developed.*  How much time are you and your team spending to understand the needs of the students you serve?  Building a well-developed product is a MUST to break this MYTH.

2. Build & Test :  Probably one of the most amazing examples of product testing I have ever read are the lengths to which Sesame Street went to ensure their programs would connect with kids.  At the start of the Children's Television Workshop, researchers would note whether a test group of children were distracted while watching an episode.  They would track their attentiveness every 7.5 seconds for an entire episode, logging nearly 400 data points for that particular show.  Any segment that returned a less than 50% attention rate was completely reworked.**  The ground-breaking success of Sesame Street cannot be argued.  Are you testing your effectiveness?  What is your measuring tool?  What does success look like for you?

3. Make Adjustments : One of the greatest barriers to success is not being willing to make adjustments.  It was not enough for Sesame Street to know that a segment was not testing well with the audience, they had to make changes.  It is not enough for us to know that something is not working, we have to change stuff up, make adjustments to get better and better.  There are two major mistakes many student ministries make when they are not getting results, and I STRONGLY encourage you to avoid both of these.  

1. KEEP DOING THE SAME THING ASSUMING IT WILL CHANGE:  Unless something changes, everything stays the same.  If it's not working, change something up.  Of course you have to give a new idea time to have an impact, but at some point, if you are not getting results, change it up.
2. STOP DOING IT BECAUSE IT'S "NOT WORKING":  We also have to watch to not abandon an idea that is just moments from breaking through.  This is why knowing your audience, accurately tracking data and measuring your success are so critical.  

4. PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE : If you have done your research, you have poured over what success looks like, your team is ready, then the final piece is promoting like your life depends on it…because it does.  Remember the first Mythbusting question I posed?  "How will they come if they don't know about it?" In today's reality, there is little excuse for not being able to get the word out.  Social Media is a HUGE resource for this MUST.  

I am convinced that, to be successful, our MYTH: "If you build it, they will come" should actually sound more like this:

"If you research it and test the idea, build it and test it some more, promote it like crazy, keep promoting it like crazy, gather data and make adjustments to your approach, then promote it like crazy even more, they will come."

We would love to hear about what has worked for you, what has not worked, and how you have used these MUSTS to achieve greater impact with your students.  Feel free to comment below.

* http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/market-testing

** The Tipping Point | Malcom Gladwell

7 Things Student Leaders Need to Know to Connect with Teens

There are some things we have to know to ensure we are connecting with teens today.  What I hope to give you quickly are 7 trends we are noticing and what we can do to leverage these realities.  Here are 1 - 3.

1 | Attention spans are shrinking | That's probably all I have time for on this topic…  But seriously, research indicates that, impacted by social media and media outlets such as YouTube, there is probably an 8-minute window to keep a teen's attention.

2 | Distraction rates are growing | Wait, where was I?  Oh yeah, distraction.  Sorry, I'm having a hard time focusing, my phone keeps going off in the middle of my YouTube video about how to post better selfies.  Need I say more?

3 | Cause-driven Decision-making |  More than ever, young people want to be connected to something bigger than themselves.  They want to know that they are making a difference, then get on with their lives.  They are not necessarily cause thinkers, but they want to be cause participators.

SO WHAT DO WE DO?

1 | Move quickly | No need to linger on that thought for 30 minutes, keep it moving.  In fact, the easiest way to accomplish this immediately is to take your content and break it up into 5 minute segments.  Sesame Street has been doing this for 40 years (Wait, maybe they're the reason we have a hard time focusing).  Their research departments look at their shows in :45 segments (That's 45 seconds) and tweak those segments based on viewer feedback.  We can start with 5 minutes, that will help.

2 | Allow for Distraction | Unplanned moments that the teens can control are a great way to embrace their culture and give them a chance to BE distracted.  The truth is, they're going to be anyhow, why not roll with it and build loyalty?  They'll love the fact that you care enough about their personal needs to give them some freedom (with guidelines).  For example, make your point, then ask them to snap a photo of an object in the room that has to do with the topic.  Or give them the chance to share their thoughts with a friend on the spot.  Sure, they'll lose focus on the task for a minute, but that's ok, bring them back into the topic and you've satisfied the distracted need.

3 | Create a Cause | Try to point your content toward a cause.  Give your teens a chance to exercise their cause muscle.  They love the community that comes from doing something significant.  Feed that desire and connect it directly to the heart of God.  Building small causes around a bigger cause is also valid.  So rather than 52 causes a year, just choose four and build all the others around those 4.

It's true that our teens are more fast-paced, distracted and self-focused than ever, but that doesn't have to be a negative.  Just understanding this reality and embracing what it means for you as a leader can change the complexion of your ministry.