The greatest calling of a student ministry is to become a front door that transports, invites, and connects students to the life of The House. At Fellowship Church, we’ve found several ways to utilize what happens on a Wednesday night with our students to impact our church as a whole.

• Expose students to your Senior Pastor as much as possible. Refer to his message from the weekend or show clips of him speaking. Your student ministry isn’t about your student pastor – it’s about the overall vision and direction of the church. And that comes from the point leader.
• Advertise what’s happening on the weekend every Wednesday night. Pass out flyers, show promotion videos, and talk to students about what’s coming up that they can be a part of. Get them excited about what is coming up on the weekend!
• Engage students on the weekend through serving. Get students involved and serving in as many areas of your weekend as possible. Our students serve in nearly every aspect and area of our church – choir, greeting, media, production, baptism, ushering, children’s ministry, and more!
• Connect with families. Spend a chunk of your week talking to families and connecting with parents. A student’s involvement should draw in them and their family!

When you begin to see your student ministry as an avenue to get students connected to the church, you empower them beyond their time in middle school or high school. You begin to show them the role the church can have for the rest of their lives!

The post Reaching the Next Generation on the Next Level appeared first on Ed Young Blog.

In thinking about these towering questions I realize senior pastors typically find themselves in one of three positions:

1 – You have a great children’s ministry, with a great children’s pastor, and you want to continue to keep him/her sharp. 

2 – You have a good children’s ministry, but you’re ready to take it to the next level and your children’s pastor needs more direction. 

3 – You have a poor children’s ministry and are desperately trying to keep the staff/volunteers who are leading it motivated to keep the whole thing from sinking.

As a senior pastor, I know how important it is for families in the church to be well taken care of by your children’s ministry. And because all of us fall into one of the three positions above, I want to make sure you know about the opportunity for you to bring your children’s ministry volunteer staff, or part-time/full-time children’s ministry staff, to our C3 Conference 2016.

C3 gives real solutions to the real issues you’re facing! This conference is a place where your children’s staff will have the opportunity to be around like-minded people and be inspired by the possibilities, dreams, and instruction given by the staff of the children’s ministry here at Fellowship Church. During this unique conference there will be opportunities to meet and talk with the Fellowship Church FC Kid’s staff, attend training sessions, make connections for the future, and get a behind-the-scenes look at work that makes a children’s ministry excel.

Remember, the weekend will only be successful if two areas in the church are clicking on all cylinders – the Worship Service and your Children’s Ministry. So bring your children’s staff and volunteers to the C3 Conference 2016 and give your them the tools they need to help make your weekends the best they can be!

The post Why Children’s Ministry Matters appeared first on Ed Young Blog.

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With a passion to equip and train others to spread the message of Christ, Ed Young provides practical leadership tools and resources through Creative Pastors and the annual C3 – Creative Church Conference, which reaches thousands of pastors and leaders around the world.

Ed Young can be seen on Ed Young TV, and weekly at FellowshipLive.com. In addition to Fellowship Church’s main location in Grapevine, TX, there are seven satellite campuses throughout Texas and Florida.

Ed Young is also a New York Times best-selling author. He has written 15 books on leadership and relationships including: Fifty Shades of They (Creality- 2015) The Sexperiment (Faith Words – 2012); Outrageous, Contagious Joy (Berkley Trade – 2007); The Creative Leader (Broadman & Holman); The Creative Marriage and Kid CEO (Warner Faith).

Ed Young has been married to his wife Lisa for 2 over 30 years. The couple has four children and resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

The post About Ed Young appeared first on Ed Young Blog.

Since we began our work in Haiti, we have extended our reach to include Guatemala and Nicaragua as well. And this year, we celebrate having served over 7 MILLION MEALS in those nations!!

Together we are focused on not only sharing the message of hope, but also showing the world around us the love of Christ. How do we do it? Through our NEST initiative. What is NEST?

• Nutrition – Since we began working in Haiti, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, those 7 Million meals have been provided to approximately 2,500 children in a total of 25 orphanages and 6 villages.
• Education – In addition to providing meals for less fortunate children, C3 Global is also working with New Life Chapel in Los Chilitos to build a permanent school for the children in that area.
• Sanitation – One of our goals is to help improve the living conditions and teach basic hygiene to the families in Haiti and Guatemala. By improving sanitation, C3 Global has provided healthier environments for children, adults, and families.
• Transformation – Our ultimate goal is to help the people around the world experience the life transformation that only comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. While providing nutrition, education, and sanitation are crucial, the goal of introducing people to Christ sets C3 Global apart from all other organizations. Through Elevate – curriculum written and produced at Fellowship Church – the children in these countries are learning about the Bible and all that God has for them as they move forward in life!

I want to thank each person who is connected to Fellowship Church, the C3 Conference, and C3 Global for the work that we have accomplished together. For a look at what we have been doing, you can check out our work in Haiti or our latest C3 Global trip to Guatemala.

There’s no question that God continues to use us as we work together. It is amazing to see the reach He has allowed us to have and the work He has blessed us to be part of. I can’t wait to see what God continues to do as we work together to transform the world!

The post Celebrating 7 Million Meals! appeared first on Ed Young Blog.

So how do you structure your church for growth, for success? In my book, The Creative Leader, I took a long look at what it takes to succeed in ministry. While we haven’t done it perfectly at Fellowship Church, for 25 years we’ve passionately pursued what God has called us to do, and I believe we have focused our efforts on growth rather than maintenance.

People repeatedly ask us how Fellowship Church is set up. I answer, “We are set up for success.” Success in any organization can only be achieved when leaders are allowed to lead. The key word is freedom: being able to shift quickly when necessary. Set your church up for success, set it up for vision, and set it up for leadership. That’s why Fellowship Church is a staff-led church. Too many churches are set up for failure because they have not put leadership decisions in the hands of the staff who are gifted and trained to lead in ministry.

What if your dentist could not make a decision unless ten of his patients voted on everything he did? Your dentist would leave his practice because that’s a formula for frustration; it’s ridiculous. The only way a dentist can do his job is if he has the control to carry out his responsibilities in meeting your dental care needs.

Pastors are often given all of the responsibility without any of the control. In these cases, deacon boards want control without responsibility. The elders want control without responsibility. They want to control, but they want your rear on the line if something messes up. If you are staff leader in the church, you are right to want both control and responsibility.

Leaders lead. So how can you do that? What does it take to set up your ministry and your church for success? Here are a few key points to remember…

• Set Up Your Bylaws So You Can Lead – For a great understanding of what bylaws are and how they can either help or hurt your ministry, check out this C3 Global webinar! If you’re looking to set yours up (or restructure them), we have a great kit for you at Creative Pastors (use the discount code: FCBLKT for 25% off!)
• Hire for the Heart, Not the Head – When I talk about heart, I’m referring to what I call the TLC principle. Hire people who are Teachable, Loyal, and Committed!
• Avoid Cruise-Control People – Think of it this way: you would always rather have to rein people in than push them forward!
• Develop a Clone-Free Environment – Surround yourself with people who are strong where you are weak. As a leader, you need to be strategic about filling up your staff with all kinds of people in order to reach all kinds of people, not those who are just like you.
• Keep Your Staff Lean – Avoid the temptation to just fill holes without due diligence. Every time you’re considering whether to hire a new staff member, ask yourself if a lay person could function in that role.

Remember, leaders take people where they need to go, not just where they want to go! And THAT will lead to the growth and success God has in store!

The post Structured for Success appeared first on Ed Young Blog.

Check it out…and we’ll see you this weekend at Fellowship Church!!

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I’d love to hear back from you about how this book is helping you surround yourself with the right THEY!

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There is a cultural epidemic out there that is wrapped up in complete fantasy, and it’s destroying relational foundations. One example is this book, and now major motion picture, Fifty Shades of Grey. The story is a clever attempt to normalize perversion and lead readers to a misunderstanding of what intimacy and connection are all about.  

God is not grey when it comes to relationships. He’s clear on His purpose, His plan, and His potential for us all to experience true intimacy. God is PRO-SEX, and he has a better way and purpose for us than what this book and movie communicate.

It’s time to answer the question:
“Are your desires fulfilled in a sexual fantasy, or are they realized in a relational reality?”

The Greek word for baptism is baptizo – it means “to dunk” or “to immerse.” So THIS WEEKEND, I’m going to baptize this fantasy and raise up the reality that God has a better way!

The post Baptizing Fantasy and Raising Reality appeared first on Ed Young Blog.

Here are six concise questions that will help you determine if you’re doing life with the right they, or the wrong they…

1. Do they motivate me to love God more?
2. Do they celebrate God’s blessings in my life?
3. Do they have my back?
4. Do they hold me accountable out of love and friendship?
5. Do they live what they believe?
6. Do they have the right ‘they’ in their lives?

Think about the people in your life. Do you need to make some changes? Are there some wrong THEY you need to move away from? If so, it won’t be easy. Change – especially relational change away from the wrong they – is never easy. But if you stick with that CHANGE and work through the CONFLICT, you will discover some amazing GROWTH on the other side! It’s all about surrounding yourself with the right THEY and discovering the relational success God has for you!

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