The Justice Mission (Curriculum Kit)

"This is the story that Youth Specialties has rendered so powerfully and well in The Justice Mission. Through the youth leaders who use it, this promises to be the broadest and most powerful introduction to the biblical God of Justice that the American church has ever experienced. And it does so by bringing the call of justice to the young people who will form the future of the most powerful nation on earth. The God of history is on the move, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
- Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission (from the forward of the leader's guide)

I first heard about International Justice Mission (IJM) at Saddleback Church. I had attended the Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry Conference & my wife and I stayed for a weekend service. Mr. Haugen spoke that weekend and told about the work that he does with IJM. In a nutshell, IJM works through legal channels to stop injustice in the poorest of countries, whether by closing down teenage and prepubescent brothels, helping peasants pay of loans (some as low as $3) which have forced them and their children into years of forced manual labor, or other such injustices.
We picked up his book after the service, The Good News About Injustce, (which I have previously reviewed) and I found it tragic yet hopeful - because even in the darkness of such pain and perversion, God cares and God is not silent. This curriculum helps teens see that there is injustice, where it stems from, and what they can do about it.
This is not a lecture driven or teacher-centered curriculum. It is based on short, thought-provoking videos, brainstorming, ideas, surveys, and questions. There are reproducible worksheets that students can put their thoughts on and reproducible journal pages which help students dig deeper into Scripture and their own thoughts on the topics.

You may also be interested in these:

The 24/7 Experience
Revolution
Irresistible Revolution

Renovation of the Heart – Interactive Student Edition

Interested in getting your students in thinking more about others than themselves? Do your teens desire to put on the character of Christ? How can your students make wise decisions?

Th1nk Books in collaboration with Dallas Willard & Randy Frazee have created a 6 week small group “Learning Experience” where your students can transform their heart to the likeness of Christ. This tool is a combination of video, audio, discussion & reading. Students will hear from both Dr. Willard & Mr. Frazee in audio & video teachings played throughout the study. They will see music videos of bands from Kutless to Jeremy Camp to Hawk Nelson. They will have the accountability that comes through a small group experience & they will read a book!

The Th1nk Outloud! series combines the fast-paced media driven teaching with reading Dallas Willard’s book Renovation of the Heart. Renovation of the Heart guides readers to transform five areas within their life – their mind, their heart, their body, their relationships & their soul. This program helps participants stop thinking only about what concerns them the most, but how they can change within & have the character of Jesus. Take your students or small group program through this 6 week study & help your students be the best that they can be in Christ!

Pick up a copy at nsresources.com

Also available:
Renovation of the Heart (Hardcover)
Renovation of the Heart – youth edition
Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice

The 24/7 Experience

In this seven episode DVD, you join a group of teenagers from all across the country come together & learn about some of the most amazing ministries & Christians making an impact in their community. Each episode, which has a Road Rules feel to it, takes the teens to a different part of the country & interviewing someone regarding their ministry.
The ministries & people that are chosen are fascinating programs & individuals that adults & teens alike should be familiar with.
Throughout the journey, the viewer learns about simplicity & poverty, justice, racial reconciliation, spiritual gifts, & mission. The people interviewed from the ministries show the teens what they do, include them in their ministry sometimes & overall teach them a new facet to their world & to their faith.
This is ideally for a high school group & includes a leader’s guide & discussion questions for each episode. Each episode is around 20 minutes long & is engaging & provocative.

You can pick up this study here for 20% off.

What Matters Most

At the surface, What Matters Most is a retelling of the principles learned from Andy Stanley in both his Next Generation Leader & 7 Practices books. It comes from a talk that Doug Fields gave to student ministers on the freedom of saying NO.

I first learned the principle from reading Mr. Stanley’s books that to be the best leader sometimes you have to say no to good things. The principle which Mr. Stanley describes is called Less is More. You can get more done - & better – if you understand what your 3 or so passions & gifts are & go after those full tilt, while saying no to other good things.

I started Mr. Fields’ book a little apprehensive, thinking that it would just be more of the same. Although the concept is the same, the application is specifically to student ministers. Mr. Fields has a passion to help student leaders in every way possible. Through his Simply Youth Ministry material to his Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry, Mr. Fields produces top quality helps for student ministers, whether you are in a large congregation or a smaller one.

The first part of this book talks about the concept of “when no is better than yes.” The second is more the practical outgrowth of that & how to apply that principle to student ministry situations. He also talks about saying no to such things as noise (video games, MP3 players, etc. – not fully like the Amish, but in practicing the discipline of silence), show-&-tell (catching up with people & focusing on what you have done, or are doing), & on more ministry (empower others!).

I think that this book is helpful because it is specifically for student ministers. Mr. Fields says, “The more I speak with youth workers, the more convinced I am that those of us called to serve others find it very difficult (if not impossible) to say no to people & opportunities.”

I found this to be true in my own experience. When you are in ministry, people seem to always have an agenda for you to follow – not in a spiteful way, but God has gifted us & impassioned us in different ways - & many people assume that “if I am passionate about something, you as my pastor should be too.” Whether the expectations come from parents, students, the board, or whomever, if you make it clear that you support those agendas, but are focused on God’s calling for you, they hopefully will understand. It also is a fantastic opportunity to empower others to become leaders in those areas.

This book is a quick read that you could nail down in an hour, but the principles will stay with you for a very long time. What Matters Most is definitely worth your time & energy. Pick up a copy here for 20% off.

Experiencing Christ Together - DVD Curriculum

When I was a Student Ministries pastor in Northern California, I began a small groups program & the material I used was the Life Together small group curriculum. Experiencing Christ Together is the follow-up curriculum with is 6 small group series (36 total sessions) starting with the life of Christ & then going through the 5 purposes from Purpose Driven Youth Ministry.
When I used them, I was the coach for the small group leaders as well as a leader myself. The beautiful thing was that three of my small group leaders had never led a small group (or anything else for that matter!). The ease of use for this curriculum is phenomenal. It is ready to go out of the box. No prep time is needed (but is always advised), & leaders work more as facilitators than teachers.
The material is soundly biblical & drives the group to look at Scripture & to interact with the passages & with one another. It is very intentional on developing time for each of the five purposes through each session, so there is time set aside for connecting, time devoted to specific growth & discipleship, time for serving, etc.
Each book also has a leader’s guide & helps in the back.. Included is everything from the Scripture verse written down to a spiritual health assessment to daily Bible readings from selected Scripture to a section on how to make sure your group does not become a clique.

In addition the kit includes 3 DVD’s. These DVD’s cover each of the 6 different series & have video segments to show the students for each session. Each Bible teaching from a veteran youth ministry leader runs only about 3-4 minutes & there are around 4-5 for each session. These can be helpful to break up each meeting & add variety, or can be used by the leaders ahead of time to help inspire conversation points.

This is a fantastic resource that would be very helpful in every student ministry small groups program.

See more information about this resource or pick it up for 20% off here.

HEROES UNMASKED

What is your church doing October 31st?
Get families to your church with a great outreach. Heroes Unmasked is an excellent opportunity to connect with new families in your community.

Heroes Unmasked is the All-New, All-Fun, No-Fear Bible Adventure! Heroes Unmasked resources provide an easy way for your church to attract your community to an outreach event where all ages discover friendship with God. It provides tools & programming that helps turn a typical fall festival event into a “wow!” experience that reinforces biblical values. Heroes Unmasked is a blast - anytime of the year!

- Easy to recruit and set up
- Connect with new kids and families
- Reach your community--and grow your ministry
- Take fun up a notch
- Engage participants in the message of God's love


When families come tot he event, they pose for a free souvenier photo. Everyone will want this memorable keepsake.

You write down their contact information do you can send them their photo later (and be sure to invite them to your church!)




They;ll launch into easy-to-do games that teach them about Bible Heroes. Children from preschool through elementary can take on Goliath & discover they can be heroes for God.

Hand out more than candy - give the gospel message! Kids take home Bible Hero trading cards, goody bags, & other prizes that reinforce God's Word.



After having a blast & learning more about being a hero for God, families will leave happy.

You'll send them a special reminder of their time at Heroes Unmasked - their souvenier photo. This is where you can invite them to your church.



Pick up the kit here for 20% off!
Find out more information here.

the be with factor

Mark 3.14 says, “He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach”.

This is the model Bo Boshers & Judson Poling of WillowCreek Community Church present in their new book “the be with factor”. Why is there need for a new model within student ministry?
Although students now are deeply spiritual & are looking for truth there are some very disturbing trends. There is an increase in biblical illiteracy; emerging young Christians are confused about what they believe. Only 9% of students believe that moral truths are absolute. 48% of students who claim to be believers believe that if you are generally good, you can earn your way to heaven. Also, 47% of high school graduates who went to church will fall away.

What might be a reason for these statistics? Generally, student ministry looks for two things. 1. Behavior change & 2. Inner change. Since it is easier to measure behavior change, that is what student ministers & staffers mainly focus on.

What can we do about it? Mr. Boshers & Mr. Poling follow Jesus’ example of “being with them” from Mark 3. This is the idea behind mentoring. The student gets to see up close what day-to-day life living in Christ looks like.

Why is this not happening? The authors have noticed a different attitude. Discouragement is setting in to student ministers across the country because there is a desire to be “successful” or “effective” in what they’re doing & more often than not, the measuring stick they are held up to is numbers & programs. This expectation, whether from parents, senior pastors, or themselves is permeating student ministries & shifting focus from inner change to only behavioral change. This mindset pushes the student minister & staffers into becoming managers & program directors. Because of this, they are not getting into students lives & seeing life change.


The be with factor is not just a book outlining what student minister need to do, it is a handbook with guides you through the process. The book helps you understand the process & methodology of mentoring & includes a 50-page guide for launching a mentoring relationship. In conjunction to that, the authors have also put together a student guide for the student who you are mentoring.

You can pick up the the be with factor &/or student guide here for 20% off.

Category: Leadership