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MoreThanDodgeball.com
THEIR TURF
By Michael Head
(Excerpted from a July 14th guest post.)
Just a reminder to all in student ministry that we HAVE GOT to get on their turf—meaning, go to their school, go to their games, go to where they are. This is the best way to show your students that you love them and that you're interested in what they are about. Don't resort to the excuse of "the school won't let us come." You can go to games, recitals, plays, chess matches (well, maybe not that)—you get the point.

When I hear youth pastors say they just don't have any teenagers coming, I always ask if they're involved in what they do—in their extracurricular activities or at school lunchtimes. Remember that teenagers just don't SHOW UP!! They need to know who you are and that you care, and that you are putting effort into their life. Once you do this they will be more open to coming to your youth ministry. So as you head into the fall semester, plan to go to school lunches and to bring popsicles to football and volleyball practices—plan to get on their turf. Ministry doesn't happen in the office, it happens where the students are!
Guest post-er Michael Head is a youth pastor in Texas.

FORUM
KEEPING TRACK OF PAYMENTS
Forum poster Amy from "FCBC" asked: "Does anyone have a blank log that can be used to keep up with payments for a mission trip we are doing? My husband and I just took over this youth group a few months ago and we are trying to get things organized. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!"

"GreenGuitarGuy" responded with this advice: "While I don't have a log for you to use, as an accountant I do work with clients and help them with keeping track of figures. I would recommend using Microsoft Excel (or any sort of spreadsheet program). This will allow you to customize columns for what you need (sizing, column titles, etc.). If you highlight cells and click all borders, it should print as a nice log for you to use. Hope this helps!"

ARTICLE
WHAT WILL YOU DO WITHOUT LEADERSHIP?
By Doug Franklin
Remember in Braveheart when William Wallace asks the men of Scotland, "What will you do without freedom?" He's asking them, How will you live without everything that makes life worth living? And I like to ask youth pastors around the country, "How will you do youth ministry without leadership?" If youth ministry's main goals are to reach and grow students for Christ, how can you do that without focusing on leadership?

For the longest time youth ministry has focused on just having kids come to church events. We measure success by our numbers. What if, instead, we develop a few students into leaders and send them into the world prepared to lead others to Christ? I think of the story of Gideon in Judges 7—God didn't need the masses; he just needed the right people who were ready and willing. If we take seriously God's call to train students as leaders, he will move through them to accomplish a lot in this world.

Here at LeaderTreks we've just finished writing the Leadership Live Curriculum in partnership with Simply Youth Ministry/Group. We wrote these lessons because we believe that youth ministry is all about leadership. For leadership development to move into the DNA of a youth ministry, it has to be taught to the adult volunteers as well. So Leadership Live has lessons for student and adults. Check it out by clicking on the Live link at simplyyouthministry.com.

Visit the site often for NEW news, ideas, tips, and free stuff.
FREEBIE
Snag "3 Free Devotions for Students" from our friends at Youth Ministry 360.

BLOG
Check out Bill Nance's guest blog post "Teaching Like Jesus"—it's the July 13th post on morethandodgeball.com

COACH
Need a little encouragement today? Check out Brian Holland's short piece "Let's Get to Work," posted on June 27th.

FORUM
On simplyinsider.com, give us feedback on our new "The Simply Youth Ministry Show" podcast, which debuted on August 1.

RESOURCES
Check out the theme and lineup of trainers, speakers, and artists for our 2012 Simply Youth Ministry Conference.

WEB CONNECT
Try out LIVE Curriculum for free at live.simplyyouthministry.com/tryitfree