Youth Ministry Assessment Report

YOUTH MINISTRY ASSESSMENT REPORT Asbury First United Methodist Church Rochester, NY December 10, 2012 Prepared by Stephanie Caro, Lead Consultant Adam DeVries, Staff Consultant

BACKGROUND Asbury First United Methodist Church is the largest United Methodist church in upstate New York. The church has a clear vision: “Through worship, education, and care, we develop disciples of Jesus Christ who live and proclaim the Gospel and thereby work to transform our culture.” Though its roots go even farther back to 1820, First UMC and Asbury UMC joined together to form Asbury First United Methodist of Rochester, NY in 1932.

The membership of the church in 2012 is 2,300 and on an average week, 650 people attend one of the church’s three worship services, held at 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. The church is known for its excellent worship, and its music program plays major part in that high standard.

The church is blessed to have the Reverend Susan Schafer who is serving as its first female senior pastor and was appointed in 2011. Before that, she served Asbury First as the Minister of Congregational Care for 29 years. Stephen Cady was appointed as the Associate Pastor in July of 2012. Phillip Phaneuf is the Minister for Youth and Education and came on staff in 2006 to serve the youth ministry.

Ministry programs geared towards the youth, 6th-12th grades, consist of the following: 1) Three Sunday school classes: one for 6th graders (with the 5th graders), one for the 7th and 8th graders, and one for the 9th-12th graders.

2) The High School Youth Group meets every Sunday.

3) There currently is no Middle School Youth Group.

4) Youth Hand Bells and the Youth Choir meet on Sunday afternoons.

5) Youth Theater meets on Sunday afternoons, alternating months with the youth music groups.

6) Special events, including the summer mission trip.

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The youth ministry is a busy one (especially on Sundays), with students and adults often referring to Sunday as “The 12-hour Day.” Words used to describe the youth ministry overall: “vibrant,” “fun,” “loving,” “giving,” “outreach,” “doing,” “empowering,” “talented.” Words used to describe the Middle School ministry: “dull,” boring,” “Sunday school,” “meh.”

Currently, there are 276 youth in 6th-12th grades on the rolls of the church. During a typical week without counting anyone twice, a total of 43 unique students participate in either Sunday school, youth musical groups, worship, youth group or Confirmation.

The church has a 2012 budget of $1,600,000. The youth ministry portion of that total budget is in the neighborhood of $75,000 for salaries and program expenses. This includes the youth pastor’s salary as well as the youth choir, bell and theater salaries.

There are many dedicated volunteers serving in some capacity throughout the ministry to Asbury First’s students. There are 13 adults working weekly in a faceto-face capacity, plus many others who serve in a supporting role.

Youth Ministry Architects was invited by the church leadership to do an initial assessment of the youth ministry and to make recommendations about how a strategic plan might move the ministry forward. YMA met with 48 people from 10 focus groups or one-on-one meetings. 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 YMA uses for helping churches understand youth ministry is the idea of the “three rents.” Youth ministries that “pay these rents” tend to have a 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 YMA’s experience that although these three rents, in and of themselves, do not insure an effective or faithful ministry, they are often the most immediate evaluation tools used by youth, parents, staff and the congregation at large.

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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 Council, parents 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 numbers in the youth program suggest that this rent is “past due.”

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 students and parents “something to talk about.” This is a rent that is paid “on time.”

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. This is a rent that is “past due” because of conversations surrounding past transitions and the upcoming youth pastor transition, leaving adults cautious about what’s next.

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: 1. Laying the Foundation: Building a foundation and infrastructure that will ensure the student ministry’s future effectiveness, and at the same time, 2. Continuing to Do Ministry: Maintaining the current student ministry in a way that builds the enthusiasm of students, their families, the staff, and the church at large.

As the youth ministry leadership steps into this parallel process, five rules of thumb – or what we call “youth ministry norms” – will be helpful to keep in mind:

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1. 10% of the Worshiping Congregation—In a typical church, the size of the youth ministry tends to settle at a number that is around 10% of the worshiping congregation. With an average worship attendance of 650, the fact that there are 43 youth (middle school and high school) present in the church weekly is significantly under the target level of 65.

2. $1500 per Youth—With a budget of approximately $75,000 dedicated to the youth ministry and a weekly participation level of somewhere in the neighborhood of 43 students in some aspect of the church’s life, the youth ministry is slightly over-budgeted for its current performance level of student participation – but under budget for the size of youth ministry this church should expect to see.

3. 1 Full-Time Staff Person for Every 50 Youth—With a ¾ time youth pastor on staff and part-time hours for the performance-oriented staff people (appx. 38 hours total), there are enough staff hours allocated to serve 50 regular youth on a weekly basis between SS, UMYF, and choirs/drama. Again, that is large enough to manage the current flock, but insufficient to reach the average expected attendance of 65.

4. 1 Adult for Every 5 Youth— YMA 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 students on an ongoing basis. With 13 adult volunteers weekly, Asbury First has the capacity to sustain 65 youth (middle school and high school) on a weekly basis (the current number is 43). According to this rule of thumb, the youth ministry is more-than-aptly volunteered and is poised for growth. Well done!

5. 20% Ceiling – YMA has also discovered that in many churches, the youth ministry has difficulty growing beyond a level that equals 20% of the weekly worshiping congregation. Only those youth ministries that are “relentlessly simple” seem to be able to break beyond this 20% level.

Asbury First might keep in mind, then, that the expected ceiling for this youth ministry is 130 youth.

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BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE YOUTH STAFF When a ministry is based solely on the giftedness of a single staff person, instability is a predictable result. It’s been found that the most stable approach to staffing a ministry, particularly in the early stages of a re-design, 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 “blue prints” plan. The “architect” is the church itself; often represented by a team of people. Initially, it’s the renovation team and/or the YMA consultants.

• The General Contractor: A person who manages the flow and sequencing of work, manages the building process according to the agreedupon blueprint, and ensures that the appropriate number of “laborers” is in place for each stage of the project. Ideally, this is the staff person.

• 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, or particular skills in planning and managing events, or particular skills in teaching. These are the volunteers.

Many churches hire as their lead youth director a person who may have gifts in a single area. For example, perhaps they are great at building relationships with youth, but don’t have the experience base or the skill set to oversee the complex components of a ministry of 50 or more youth. The result in these situations can be a pattern of unrealistic expectations for the staff, which can lead to "scapegoating” particularly in settings in which a sustainable infrastructure for ministry has not been established.

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ASSETS Strengths to protect in the current youth ministry and moving forward Confirmation It is clear that Asbury First is passionate about equipping their young people with the tools needed to become responsible people of faith in today’s world. The church has made a huge commitment to the educational development of their 8th graders with a full program plan of Confirmation. Many students and parents described Confirmation as a youth ministry highlight.

Exceptional Youth The youth love their church. The senior high youth feel comfortable with each other, enjoy participating in what the ministry has to offer and are excited about spending time together. One parent said, “I can’t keep my child away. If there’s something planned, she’s there.” Another parent said, “My child was accepted here when he wasn’t at his school.”

The students’ dedication to their faith, their church and each other is evidenced in the infamous “12 hour days” when students spend all day at church and love it!

One student said, “Its absolutely my favorite day of the week.” Another proof that these are exceptional youth was when they were asked what they’d like to do that they’re not doing now, they only named “serve more often in local ways.”

One student named it: “I’d like us to do something locally at least once a month.”

Youth Music/Theater Ministry What a joyful noise! The active participation of the youth involved in these ministries brings a lot of positive reactions from church members. Having such visible programs as these proclaims a lot of good will to the church-at-large and earns the youth ministry the right to experiment in other ways. It also provides the students with a place to express themselves in the Sunday worship. Asbury First has developed a reputation for its youth music ministry.

One student said, “I really like doing the musicals. Everyone who is in the youth group all gets together. You can invite your friends to come with you. I know its brought families in to our church.”

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All are Welcome Asbury First is a church that welcomes people from all walks of life. This attitude has filtered into the personality of the youth ministry itself. The leaders and students want to be inclusive to youth who come from different points of faith. In the high school youth group, they make it a point to study different world religions. They embrace deep discussions of real life issues in today’s teenage world.

“We’re on the Edge and Ready to Jump!”

There is an air from the listening group participants that the church is on the verge of something new and exciting in ministry. Everyone is ready to set aside recent transitional troubles and move forward. Asbury First members recognize that more can be done to foster a deeper level of relational and spiritual development with their youth. This is evidenced by several things: 1) Bringing in YMA to be a part of the ministry “transition” process.

2) 48 people participated in 10 groups or one-on-ones with insightful conversations.

3) Willingness to staff the youth ministry outreach in several areas.

All these represent great steps in the process and clearly communicate to families that the church wants to move towards clarifying their youth ministry direction, creating a deeper, sustainable model for the future.

Clarity of Transitional Need This is a church full of savvy people who want what’s best for their youth. Over and over again, adults expressed their desire for a smooth transition and positive forward movement. One adult expressed it best, “What’s most important here is how do the youth feel about all of this? “What’s best for them?”

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CHALLENGES Obstacles to moving the youth ministry strategically forward Where There is No Vision, the Youth Ministry Perishes Proverbs 29:18, says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” Likewise, when the vision of a ministry is cloudy, it will wander and wobble with no forward movement made. Without a plan for target audiences, mission, goals and values of the youth ministry beyond “what’s always been done,” one that is created by ALL interested parties within the church, the wonderful work gone on before is at risk to weaken. Folks will begin to ask, “What happened?”

The current staff members, volunteers, parents, and youth are deeply committed to the youth ministry, but although many participants were able to articulate great ideas for the future, no common language was heard. This typically leads to a “shoot the cannon” approach to youth ministry programming, especially in times of transition: hoping the new/old ministry will hit something! Anything!

Transition Anxiety There is an elephant in the room and its name is “Transition.” Each listening group spoke of some of the upset and anger swirling around the upcoming transition. Yet, when spoken of, it was also said that no one is “talking about it” while the truth is: many are talking about it. Anxiety turned inward often becomes anger and is extremely detrimental to a youth ministry. Who is hurt most? The students themselves. Ironically, it was the students who spoke the most openly about the upcoming change with the least amount of anxiety.

My Kids Aren’t Musical!

While the ministry to the youth is successful in regards to those participating in the music/theater programs, what about youth who aren’t performance-oriented?

One parent said, “My kids just don’t do that. They don’t sing.” In other words, where’s the welcome mat for them?

While the youth music ministry is a highly successful piece in the total youth ministry offering, the ministry isn’t counter-balanced for other types of kids to drop in. Here are a few comments heard from listening participants: • • •

“It is kinda clique-y if you’re not in the theater group.”

“My son had a great experience on the mission trip. He came back and was excited about the youth group for a while. Then it seemed like the choir kids closed ranks again and now he won’t go.”

“If a new youth comes, the more they get involved, the more they’ll be welcomed.”

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•

“If they get involved in the youth musical, then they’ll probably get welcomed into the youth group. But, we don’t get a lot of new people to youth group.”

Middle School Missing Link: What about families with middle school age children who are checking out the ministry? How is the youth ministry reaching out to equip these youth with faith development in real world ways? What if a junior high age boy isn’t interested in the performance arts?

If one were new to Asbury First, it would seem as if the youth ministry to 6th-8th graders is a forgotten place. When someone goes to the youth page on the church web site and searches “junior high” or “middle school,” only one reference is found, and that’s for a church staff person who used to be a middle school teacher. A family would have to dig a little further and search under the “children” tab to find a reference to 6th, 7th and 8th grade ministry. Here is what they’d find: • •

Preschool-sixth grade: meet with a team of teachers in grade-level classrooms to explore the Bible through the curriculum "Faithweaver."

Seventh-eighth grades: scripture-based lessons that allow children to explore ways to apply God’s word to their own lives. Lower floor, education wing.

Discipleship Path/Scope and Sequence Currently, Asbury First has no widely communicated process in place to ensure a well-rounded, comprehensive plan for what curriculum topics are being taught over the course of a student’s seven-year journey through the youth ministry from start to finish. That approach can lead to haphazard planning, the risk of skipping key spiritual teaching, and missed opportunities for parental engagement in conversations of faith.

The ministry is missing a well-defined scope and sequence for all aspects of its youth ministry Christian educational plans. In other words, spiritual goals need to be set with an eye to weaving all the parts and pieces together. For a youth ministry to teach its students in a comprehensive way, the ministry needs to know the following things from the church at large:

• •

A set of desired core competencies 7 year scope and sequence

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• • • •

Purpose for each program (how each program piece fits together) Curriculum comparison charts Curriculum Calendar Discipleship Path (jumping off and on points)

Where’s the Beef?

A number of adults expressed a concern that there isn’t enough meat to what’s being offered in the youth group. Several shared that although the youth ministry is doing a great job at building relationships, there doesn’t seem to be enough evidence that it’s building strong faith-relationship. Participants said: • “I want us to make sure that when our kids graduate, we’re putting their hands into the hands of Christ so that they walk with Him through the next steps.”

• “We focus on the now, on being ‘nice.’”

• “I couldn’t quote anything from the Bible.”

• “I’m not sure I want to read the Scripture in church because I don’t believe what’s in the Bible.”

• “I’m not sure I know what Methodism means.”

Take the Documentation to the Next Level One tool for taking youth ministry to a more sustainable place is through “squaring the corners” of organization within the ministry. During a youth ministry transition time, a lack of complete documentation can lead to a sense of frustration around programs and events; it may breed a perception that the ministry is not under control. Although the calendar has been beautifully planned out through next June, there are other key areas of youth ministry management to add to the plan. This is especially important before the current youth pastor leaves, so that the records don’t leave with thTh Pat person. It will be crucial to the youth ministry in the upcoming renovation phase to have the most current pieces of information in place and readily available to multiple staff/volunteer leaders.

There’s Plenty of Space…and its Lonely Yes, there is dedicated space available for the youth ministry to grow…but the youth room needs some TLC, especially to compete with a family’s expectations today and match the standards of the rest of the church. There’s a reason that Starbucks and Panera’s decorates its environment the way they do; its says, “Come on in. You’re welcome here.” Currently, the youth room has an abandoned look and leaves more of a “please don’t come in here” vibe.

One Eared Mickey Mouse Youth

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Else

FromThes.

The se listening to the comments of the youth and a few adult leaders, a case could be made that the youth ministry is headed dangerously close to the slippery slope of sequestering itself into its own self-contained ministry with little integration into the life of the church. Overheard were comments like, • • • •

“We don’t need adults at our youth planning.”

“The youth should have their own worship service.”

“The high school youth won’t be here on the Church’s most holy day, Easter!”

“I feel like UMYF is a better way for worship for youth.”

Although the music ministry seems to do a good job at involving the youth in the service, it would serve the ministry (and its students) well to make sure that students are integrated into the whole of the church life.

Idea Overload Throughout the listening process, a wide variety of ideas were voiced. Many of them were spoken with the kind of passion that assumes that if only these changes were made, all youth ministry problems would be solved.

The truth is that few, if any, of these ideas hold the key to ensuring a sustainable, high-impact youth ministry. But for the sake of information (and entertainment), here is a list of some of these competing recommendations, directly quoted below from conversations with students and parents: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

“Our kids shouldn’t be here all day on Sunday.”

“I like that ever The , leaThis ything is on Sunday so I don’t have to make trips.”

“They should just put beds in the youth room. Then I could sleep here.”

“I’m glad Confirmation is on Sunday.”

“I wish Confirmation was during Sunday school.”

“I wish Confirmation was on another day.”

“Our kids need more than just Bible.”

"Our kids need more Bible.”

“I don’t believe in the Bible.”

“I love the sermons; they’re the best part.”

“I hate the sermons.”

“I don’t think we should have to go to the service.”

“I just stay down here in the youth room during the service.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

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1) Reframe the next 18 months (through August 2014) as a time of goal-setting and infrastructure building for the youth ministry. Set September 2014 as the target date for a ministry that has sufficient infrastructure and support to provide long-term stability with a bright future.

2) Present these recommendations to the Church Council and SPRC, requesting that they endorse this 18-month strategic Renovation Process for the youth ministry.

3) Reconfigure the current youth counselors into a Youth Ministry Renovation Team. These teams will work with current staff and free up future staff to focus on exceptional day-to-day ministry. These non-anxious, goal-oriented people will be charged with two overarching responsibilities: I. Work with the youth ministry leadership to address the immediate pressure points facing the ministries as they transition toward sustainability.

II. Establish a consensus for the direction of the youth ministries and take responsibility for implementing the strategic, long-term changes recommended in this report.

4) Partner with Youth Ministry Architects (YMA) as a support system working in conjunction with the Renovation team.

RENOVATION TEAM TASK #1: Address the Pressure Points These issues should be addressed in the first three months in order to create an atmosphere conducive to change and growth.

Pressure Point #1: Commit to a Smooth Transition It is imperative that this changeover goes smoothly for the sake of the youth and their families. Create a transition game plan that ensures positive forward movement and healthy conversations by including the following: • • • •

Agree to declare a moratorium on all negative e-mail, Facebook, texting, or verbal conversations about the upcoming transition.

Determine the “Final Day on Staff” for the current Minister for Youth and publicize it.

Schedule a celebration dinner honoring the current Minister for Youth.

Determine the dates for turning all tech information and church computer systems, passwords and processes over to the tech committee.

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• • •

•

Upon new appointment, publish an article in the church bulletin honoring the current Minister of Youth, announcing his new appointment, and celebrating his service.

Appoint a SPRC representative to oversee the transition process and to serve as a liaison between the church staff and SPRC, ensuring that this recommendation is handled with love and care for all.

Create the following documents: o A middle school & high school youth directory in an on-line data format; also in print format. o Annual youth ministry event calendar through summer of 2014 o Youth volunteer job descriptions and o Major event notebooks.

Invite YMA to support all parties involved in the transition process as needed.

Pressure Point # 2: Create a Vision for the Future Conduct a multi-session Vision Retreat in which youth, parents, volunteers, staff, and invested members of the congregation cooperatively develop documents that will provide clarity and direction for the youth ministry of Asbury First. Those who participate in the retreat will help develop: • • • • • • •

A Mission Statement specific to youth ministry, supporting the church’s overall mission statement.

The Target Audience for the youth ministry.

A Statement of Youth Ministry Values (those attitudes in which the ministry goes about the day-to-day work.)

A set of Three-Year Revolving Goals (practical, result driven) A set of One-Year Benchmarks (with standards of measurement) A set of clearly defined next steps to move towards the completion of each goal.

A organizational chart that shows how the church staff, youth ministry staff, work area on youth ministry members, counselors, youth leaders, and volunteers work together; “the way things really work.”

Pressure Point # 3: The Search for a New Youth Pastor Working with the SPRC, begin the search process for the new youth ministry staff. Reformat the staffing structure to include a part-time Youth Ministry Program Coordinator role as well as a Full time Youth Ministry Director. Develop results-based job descriptions for both of those roles. Using the results-based job descriptions and the newly created vision and goals of the youth ministry program, begin the search process for the future program coordinator and youth director. Include the following steps in the process:

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• • • • •

Develop a short-term plan for staffing the youth ministry if there is a gap between the current staff leaving and the new leaders arriving.

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

Share these plans with the Staff Parish Relations Committee, asking for their endorsement and assistance.

Review the attached Search Process timeline and make appropriate plans. These could include using YMA in parts of this process.

Create and support a Search Committee for the youth pastor’s role.

Pressure Point # 4: Clear Communication Clearly communicate the youth ministry happenings to youth, parents, and volunteers, especially over the next six months. Partner with the youth leaders to support the communication systems and structures that they have already put in place and create new systems, as they are needed.

• • •

Create up-to-date e-mail and text groups for all youth, parents, and volunteers Compile a youth ministry calendar for the spring and summer and send it out to all AFUMC youth and their families Partner with the youth leaders to document what they do, what their specific roles are, and communicate that info with current and upcoming youth counselors.

Pressure Point # 5: Mission Trip The tomb is empty but the church isn’t – especially when it’s Easter! Commit to a conversation with Red Bird Missions about whether there are other options in arrival time for the youth group. If a later arrival time were possible, this would allow youth to participate in Easter morning worship.

RENOVATION TEAM TASK #2: Establishing a consensus for the direction of the youth ministries and the creation of their infrastructures, including the completion of the following tasks:

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INFRASTRUCTURE TASKS THAT BUILD SUSTAINABILITY AND STABILITY o Control Document Development: Complete an 18-Month Calendar, Major Event Notebooks, and a Preventative Maintenance Calendar that creates a schedule of behind-the-scenes activities for each month (like September: nail down the location for next year’s high school mission trip). o Establish an Overarching Youth Discipleship Pathway: Create a longrange, integrated template for all curriculums. Include an overarching design for Sunday school, UMYF, Musical, Youth Bells, Youth Choir, Confirmation, retreats, etc. o Attendance: Track attendance for all youth activities, not only the headcount, but also each student’s involvement in the life of the church.

Generate at least monthly reports of newly inactive youth, as well as firsttime guests so that follow-up will happen with regularity and consistency. o First-Timer Follow-Up: Create a multi-step process for welcoming, following up, and tracking visitors to the youth ministry of Asbury First, a process designed for welcoming and inviting new youth toward deeper involvement in the life of the Church. o 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. o Youth Ministry Manual: Develop a Youth Ministry Manual, including the most recent up-to-date Youth Directory, an 18-Month calendar, resultsbased job descriptions for staff and volunteers, compliance documents, budgets, game plans, a preventative maintenance calendar and notes for every major and youth ministry event.

DEVELOPING AND NURTURING STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS o 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 and supporting of all volunteers. o Standard Processes for Recruiting and Enrolling Volunteers: Create a written volunteer recruiting and matriculation plan that will provide staff with a uniform process for bringing volunteers onboard. o Strategic Staffing: Propose a clear, appropriate long-term staffing plan for the youth ministry that will provide the church with significant capacity to sustain thriving ministries to its targeted number of youth.

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o Leadership Launch: Schedule and implement an inspiring leadershiptraining event for all volunteer youth workers at the beginning of each school year. Also plan team-building activities throughout the year.

DEVELOPING CLEAR STRATEGIES AND NEW INITIATIVES o Fall Kick Off: Maximize youth ministry impact of “Together in Ministry Sunday” by turning part of the day into a momentum building event for the youth program by doing the following: o share the new calendar of events for the year o introduce staff and weekly volunteers to parents and youth, o give out medical release forms o gather retreat/trip deposits o have students sign up for future events o give away a few prizes o and make it fun. o Local Outreach: Build on the success of the summer mission trips and current local outreach opportunities at Asbury First by providing a wellpublicized calendar of local outreach events. Invite all age-appropriate visitors and first-timers to participate in these initiatives, recognizing that the desire to serve might be the most natural plug-in point for many active students, friends, and peripheral youth members. o Middle Schoolers are Youth too: Reconfigure the youth ministry program to include 6th-8th graders and create a middle school ministry that specifically targets the 6th-8th grade students. Consider the development of a middle school youth group, a possible 6th-8th grade musical, a middle school Sunday school class, and a middle school outreach trip. o Friendship Epidemic: Charge students to develop a “friendship epidemic.” Train and support the youth leaders to create a climate of welcome and friendship for the youth ministry, a climate that is effectively focused beyond comfortable friendship clusters and reaches out to the whole Asbury First youth community. o Spiritual Depth: Develop a plan to intentionally take youth deeper in their faith through teaching and discipleship in varied environments. This plan may include small groups and mentoring relationships in the context of local bible studies or local outreach opportunities. o Rites of Passage: Build on the precedents already set by the Confirmation Sunday and Youth Sunday by developing a written plan for the processes, events, and privileges that will welcome and connect the youth and their parents as they progress through each transition in the

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church’s ministry such as fifth graders moving up to the youth group, Confirmation, and high school graduation. o The Church of Today: Develop clear strategies for involving youth in the larger life of the congregation. This may include outreach opportunities, monthly involvement in worship, intergenerational gatherings, an intergenerational musical, or a prayer partner program that pairs 100% of the youth with an adult in the congregation. o The Sound of Silence: Develop a strategy that engages students who are not musically or theatrically inclined, ensuring that all youth are engaged even in the midst of the musical season. o Sustainable Youth Leadership: Create a system that ensures the continued tradition of youth leadership at Asbury First by surrounding young people with passionate adults who walk with them through love, support, discipleship, and empower youth in their faith and leadership formation.

PROPOSED TIMELINE

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

Youth Ministry Architects are available to provide coaching and ministry support during this 18-month renovation process. Additional support and onsite visits are also available January 2013 Focus: Starting Right Outcomes: • The youth counselors have been reconfigured into the Youth Ministry Renovation Team, they have had their first meeting, and the meetings have been scheduled through the summer.

• This assessment report has been presented to the church council and SPRC. Appropriate approvals have been requested for moving forward with recommendations for the 18-month infrastructure-building plan for the youth ministry.

• Asbury First has partnered with YMA as a support system for the renovation process.

• A transition game plan has been put in place following the bullet points listed in the recommendations.

• A game plan has begun for reconfiguring the youth program to include a Middle School ministry that engages 6th – 8th grade students, launching in September 2013. From this point on all youth ministry references encompass both Middle School and High School youth ministry.

• The search timeline has begun. (See attached timeline) YMA: 5 hours offsite February 2013 Focus: Vision Outcomes: • A youth ministry Visioning Retreat has been completed, involving staff, volunteers, parents and invested youth, producing four key visioning documents: o A mission statement specifically focused to the youth ministry. o A statement of Youth Ministry Values. o A set of three-year revolving goals with one-year benchmarks o An organizational chart of the youth ministry programming/activities • A long term staffing plan has been drafted and proposed to SPRC that will provide the church with significant capacity to sustain a thriving youth ministry.

• An up-to-date youth directory complete with e-mail lists, Facebook, and text groups of youth, parents, and volunteers has been developed and shared with all youth ministry volunteer and staff leadership.

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• •

• • • •

A youth ministry calendar through December 2013 has been created and shared with all parents, youth, and volunteers.

The roles, systems, and structures that the current youth leaders use for the leadership of the youth ministry have been documented to help train and support future youth leaders.

Major Event Coordinators through December 2013 have been recruited.

A plan has been developed that allows for youth to be present at church over Easter and go on the youth mission trip.

Plans for celebrating the ministry of the departing Minister for Youth have begun.

The Renovation Team continues to meet regularly.

YMA: 3 days onsite, 1-hour offsite

March 2013 Focus: Building Infrastructure Outcomes: • An 18-month calendar has been completed and Major Event Notebooks have begun to be put together.

• Recruiting has begun for Major Event Coordinators through June 2014.

• There are clear internal marketing processes that allow parents, youth, leaders and the broader church to be exposed to the successes and good news surrounding youth ministry.

• Attendance for all weekly activities has begun to be taken and tracked, and the first monthly report has come out.

• A plan for follow-up from monthly report of inactive and first-time youth has been created.

• The Asbury First youth ministry database has been created and each person on the database has been identified with one of the following categories: o Member Active: Have participated in the life of the church in the previous year. o Visitor Active: Not members, but participates regularly in the life of the church or age-level ministry. o Member Inactive: Members, but not participated in the previous year in any way in the life of the church. o Visitor Inactive: Non-Members, but does not participate regularly in the life of the church. o First Timers: New guests who have attended some program of the church but who are not participating regularly enough to be considered “Visitor Active” but who are participating enough to not be categorized as “Visitor Inactive.”

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• • •

•

• •

A pattern of at least monthly phone coaching has been established for the Renovation Team and youth ministry staff.

The development of a youth ministry manual has begun.

There is a written master list of all volunteer needs in the youth ministry through June of 2014 and a master list of all current volunteer leaders has been developed.

A list of at least of 50 potential volunteers to serve in the youth ministry has been developed, including people from all age groups at the church (young adults, parents, married couples with no children in the program, and retirees.) The list makes note of people who have volunteered once or twice in the past year but are equipped and gifted to be blessed by deeper involvement.

Work has begun to create or update job descriptions for all volunteer positions.

A leadership launch has been scheduled for the beginning of the 20132014 school year as well as volunteer team-building activities throughout the year.

YMA: 5 hours offsite

April 2013 Focus: Job Descriptions and Strategies Outcomes: • A volunteer recruiting and matriculation plan that provides staff with a uniform process for bringing volunteers on board has been created.

• Results-based job descriptions have been developed for all paid and volunteer positions in the youth ministry.

• A structure for the ongoing training and support of all volunteers has been created.

• Major event notebooks have been created for all major events and added to the youth ministry manual.

• The renovation team has addressed all pressure points.

• A clear strategy has been developed that will involve youth in the greater life of the church.

• Plans for celebrating the departing Minister for Youth is well underway and publicized to the entire church.

• A strategy has been developed that intentionally engages youth who are not theatrical or musical during the musical season.

YMA: 3 hours offsite May 2013 Focus: Volunteers and Rites of Passage Outcomes: • All volunteers for the 2013-2014 school year have been recruited.

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• • •

• •

All Major Event Coordinators have been recruited and handed Major Event Notebooks.

A volunteer “Fishing Pond” has been developed with at least 3 times as many potential leaders’ names as there are slots to be filled.

A rite of passage plan has been written for the processes, events, and privileges that will welcome and connect the youth and their parents as they progress through each transition in the church’s youth ministry.

The new Rites of Passage events have been added to the Major Event Calendar.

A clear strategy has been developed that will involve youth in the greater life of the church.

YMA: 3 hours offsite

June/July 2013 Focus: Who is being engaged?

Outcomes: • The coding (e.g., member active, visitor active, etc.) of each child, youth and adult on the Asbury First database has been reviewed and updated.

• Enjoy the summer!

YMA: 2 hours offsite August 2013 Focus: New staff, Radical Hospitality, and Preparation for Fall Kick Off Outcomes: • A new Minister for Youth has been hired and welcomed by the congregation, students, and families.

• A welcome dinner celebrating the new youth director has taken place.

• A multi-step process for welcoming and following up with first time visitors has been created.

• A preliminary game plan for radical hospitality has been drafted, including processes that o Systems for welcoming first time youth to Asbury First are in place and student leaders have begun to implement it. o Appropriate information is available and readily accessible for guests to learn about the youth programs of the church o Deliberate follow up takes place with all visitors o Assimilation processes are in place to move young visitors into the life and ministry of Asbury First o Additional initiatives are identified for connecting with, engaging, and integrating young families who are not yet involved in the life of Asbury.

• Part of the Together in Ministry Sunday has been reformatted into a youth ministry fall kick off that maximizes the youth programs impact by sharing

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• •

the new year’s calendar, youth directory, introducing staff and volunteers, giving out medical release forms, gathering deposits, and having students/parent volunteers sign up for future events.

All preparations for the Together in Ministry Fall Kick off have been made.

A friendship training has taken place for middle school and high school students that equipped them with the skills and intentionality mindset to invite friends and make new comers feel welcome at youth ministry programs and events.

YMA: 3 hours offsite

September 2013 Focus: Fall Kick Off, Together in Ministry Outcomes: • The Together in Ministry Fall Kick off has taken place, leaving, parents, youth & volunteers excited about the coming year.

• The newly configured youth program that includes Middle School as well as High School ministry has been launched at the Fall Kick off • A leadership launch has taken place • The first timer follow process is up and running.

• The plan for radical hospitality is being worked on a weekly basis.

• There is a clear, publicized plan for a high-impact welcoming of the students transitioning through the church’s established Rites of Passage.

• 50% of the Youth Ministry Goals have been accomplished.

• The strategy to engage students in the greater life of the congregation has begun to be implemented.

YMA: 3 hours offsite

October 2013 Focus: Strategy and Engaging the Non-singers Outcomes: • All new contact info gathered at the Fall Kick off has been inputted into the youth ministry database.

• A local outreach plan has been developed that builds on the success of the mission trip and consistently connects youth to the local outreach ministries that Asbury First is already doing.

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•

• •

The Administrative Board/Church Council has evaluated the current staffing structure for the youth ministry and proposed a long-term staffing plan based on the needs, development, and size of the current ministries.

The strategy to engage students not involved in the musical has been implemented.

The Renovation Team has gathered to complete a 9-month mid-course evaluation of the renovation process, celebrating their work and discussing any corrective action needed to address those components of the strategic plan that may have gotten off course. Unexpected challenges (which are to be expected!) have been addressed with non-anxious creativity.

YMA: 2-hours offsite

November 2013 Focus: Preventative Maintenance, Outreach, and Ministry Manual Outcomes: • The Preventative Maintenance Calendar has been completed • The Youth Ministry manual has continued to be develop and has an up-todate Youth Directory, annual event calendar, results-based job descriptions, compliance documents, budgets, game plans, preventative maintenance calendar, and notes for every major youth ministry event.

• The local outreach plan has been publicized in the form of a service calendar, inviting all youth to participate in the regular outreach activities in the life of the church.

• A ministry manual for the Asbury First’s youth ministry continues to be developed, complete with the following: o Visioning Documents o Youth Directories o Volunteer Directory o Master Calendar o Job Descriptions o Game Plans o Budget o Recruiting Template, with a record of all the volunteer needs for the year o Compliance Documents (child protection policy, background check information, music and video copyright licensing, etc.).

• A volunteer team-building event has taken place.

YMA: 2 hours offsite December 2013 Focus: Merry Christmas, and Goal Measuring

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Outcomes: • 75% of all goals from the Vision Retreat have been accomplished.

• Enjoy Advent January 2013 Focus: Discipleship Path/Curriculum Retreat Outcomes: • YMA has led a curriculum retreat that has developed an overarching discipleship pathway that integrates all the curriculums of the youth ministry.

• YMA has provided a multi-level training event for volunteers, staff, student leaders, and parents.

• The local outreach plan continues to be in affect, and youth are serving in the outreach ministries of the church on a bi-monthly basis.

• A plan has been developed to intentionally take youth deeper in their faith through teaching and discipleship.

YMA: 3 days onsite, 1-hour offsite February 2014 Focus: Annual Check In and Game plans Outcomes: • 100% of all youth ministry goals have been met. The revolving goals have been reviewed and rolled over for the next year.

• A youth ministry annual meeting has taken place involving all the youth ministry stakeholders and staff, where goals and benchmarks have been reset, and new strategies have been developed.

• At the annual meeting a system has been created that ensures the continued tradition of youth leadership.

• All new volunteers have followed the new volunteer matriculation plan.

• The Renovation Team has gathered to complete a 12-month assessment review.

• Written game plans (including implementation timetables) have been drafted or compiled for: o Creative programs or events for students who want to dig even deeper into their faith. o Small groups or mentoring programs YMA: 2 hours offsite

March 2014 Focus: Training and Pursuing Volunteers, Pursuing Seeking MIA Outcomes:

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• • • • •

A volunteer team-building event has taken place.

All volunteer needs for the 2014-2015 school year have been identified.

Volunteer recruiting has begun for 2014-2015 school year.

Based on the results of a parent interest survey, those who indicated interest in serving have been placed in specific volunteer roles.

The game plan for reaching out to those, youth, and families who are “Missing In Action” has been updated and new processes are launched as needed to connect with those groups.

YMA: 1-hour offsite

April 2014 Focus: Volunteer Gathering Outcomes: • Key volunteers have gathered for a time of relationship-building, celebrating the fall, and planning for the next semester.

• 50% of volunteers for 2014-2015 school year have been recruited.

• A new and improved strategy for engaging youth in the greater life of the congregation has been developed.

YMA: 1-hour offsite May 2014 Focus: New Volunteers and Improved Strategies Outcomes: • 100% of the volunteers for the 2014-2015 school year have been recruited th • New rites of passage events have taken place for 5 graders entering into th 6 grade, as well as traditional rites of passage such as confirmation Sunday, and Senior Banquet.

• A new and improved strategy for engaging youth not involved in the musical has been developed.

June/July 2014 Focus: Rest and Celebration Outcomes: • Renovation team has addressed all pressure points and recommendations in the report.

August 2014 Focus: Wrap up and Re-load Outcomes: • 50% of the one-year benchmarks have been accomplished.

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•

•

The documents in the /youth ministry manual have been reviewed and updated to reflect current realities. o The organizational chart for the /youth ministry has been revised to reflect changes that have taken place since the visioning retreat.

The work of the Renovation Team has been celebrated, and a long-term plan for lay support of the youth ministry’s infrastructure is in place.

DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY ASBURY FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH PROPOSED SEARCH TIMELINE Below is a proposed time line for the search for a Director of Youth Ministry.

These are our best estimates, but God may have other plans!

Target Date Month 1

Action taken Job position is solidified in its desired scope. Questions answered will be: # of Hours youth ministry focus

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amount of experience and education desired title Salary package is determined and received approval. (See Group Magazine’s 2012 Salary Survey for current competitive packages.)

Current job description is reviewed and re-written by YMA Consultant to reflect the YMA assessment and infrastructure work, and current culture of AFUMC. Description is returned to Renovation Team for edits and approval, along with SPRC’s input.

A dedicated email account is setup just for receiving resumes.

Search documents are posted on Google Docs for the Renovation Team and Search Team eyes only.

Job posting and mass email is reviewed and edited. (Written

by YMA Consultant) Month 2

Church recruits a search team of 5 who will work alongside of the SPRC Committee. Youth should NOT sit on this committee.

The Search Team meets and receives a brief orientation for its task of conducting a healthy, comprehensive search.

Search team job description and documents (prepared by YMA Consultant) is reviewed.

The Search Committee determines where to post the jobs, who will post and where resumes should be directed.

Suggested posting places include: Youth Ministry Architects Job Board Youth Specialties Job Bank Simply Youth Ministry/Group Job Board National/Regional Methodist Job Boards Seminaries and Christian Colleges Future 1st and 2nd phone interview dates are determined and calendared along with onsite 3rd interview dates.

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Month 3

Report progress to Church Council and then church body.

Job is posted and mass email sent out.

Search Team has a conference call with YMA Consultant to double check all is on track.

A process for sorting, vetting and responding to resumes is determined. “A” candidates meet all requirements, “B” meet most and are put on hold, and “C” candidates are sent a “not at this time” immediate email.

Month 4

Resumes have been gathered and sorted into A, B, or C. “A” candidates have received job application form and a time for initial phone interview.

1st phone interviews have been conducted and those who have been moved on the second round have been contacted with a date set for 2nd phone interview. Those not moving on have received a “not at this time.”

Vetting begins on round 2 candidates. Background check, references follow-up, etc.

Month 5

Round 2 phone interviews are held and those 2-3 candidates moving on have been contacted with an onsite visit scheduled.

Those not moving on have been thanked and any feedback given for future interviews.

All vetting of potential candidates has been completed.

Arrangements have been made for the onsite visits.

Month 6

Onsite visits have happened and a decision is made.

The job is offered and accepted!

Dates are calendared for moving and start up.

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A session is scheduled between the new staff person and YMA for review and orientation.

Your Youth Ministry Architects Team Stephanie Caro Lead Consultant stephanie.caro@ymarchitects.com Stephanie Caro has been involved in ministry to children, youth and adults in the local church since…a long time. Her humorous, straightforward style keeps her busy presenting and coaching at conferences, training events, camps, mission trips, retreats, churches, etc.

In 2010, her book, Thriving Youth Ministry in Smaller Churches, was published by Group/Simply Youth Ministry. Her latest book, 99 Thoughts for the Smaller Church Youth Worker came out in 2011, also published by Group/Simply Youth Ministry.

Stephanie is a contributing author to several ministry resources in addition to her regular column “Smaller Church Youth Ministry” in Group Magazine. Check out

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Stephanie's blog, part of the Simply Youth Ministry Network, at smallchurchyouthministry.com. Stephanie and her husband, Steve, live in Houston, TX. Their 7 children are all grown and (mostly) gone – praise Jesus!

Adam DeVries Staff Consultant adam.devries@ymarchitects.com Since 2004, Adam has been working in youth ministry in a variety of cultural settings. He has served as a youth director for a Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN, the Chaplain and Chaplain Department head of an International School, an executive leader in a youth ministry mission in Ecuador, and in the summer he serves as camp director for a socio-economic racial reconciliation camp in Kentucky.

Adam is currently pursuing a M. Div from Princeton Theological Seminary with a concentration on Missional Theology and a focused interest in theology’s impact on Youth Ministry. Adam lives in Princeton with his wife Sara and their two daughters, Parish and Nealie.

When he’s not studying he loves to spend time with his family, and does his very best to get better grades at being a Husband and Father than he does in his seminary classes.

Jeff Dunn-Rankin Vice President of Consulting jeff@ymarchitects.com Jeff has been Director of Youth at Christ United Methodist Church in Venice, FL since 1998. He had been an active youth volunteer for more than a decade with church and para-church organizations, including Young Life and First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN. Before beginning church ministry, Jeff was managing editor of the Charlotte Sun, the country's fastest growing newspaper in the 1990's, nearly doubling in circulation. Jeff is a graduate of the Sewanee: The University of the South and has a Masters in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University.

He currently lives in Venice, Fla., with his wife Mary Lou, and two children, Matthew and Katie.

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