An organized youth minister who plans ahead?
Ahhh . . . that’s a rare and unusual find, once thought to be extinct. These rare creatures are sought after for the sounds they make, like “I have a plan!” or “I know what I am doing and why!” or “Better planning results in more quality time for the relational aspects of ministry!”
The more common species is known for these sounds: “I’ll just wing it!” and “Anybody know a good game for tomorrow night?”
Now, with our youth ministry catch-and-release program called Plan-It, we are retraining and reclaiming youth ministers throughout the universe. With our Plan-It wildlife-restoration program, youth ministers are released back into the wild, saying things like:
“Planning is not as scary as I thought. It was important to lay out all the pages on the table. It puts things in perspective, and I see things that I would miss on a computer calendar.”
“Plan-It is very affirming, relieving anxiety!”
“It helped me reframe how I think about doing youth ministry.”
“I got the events on the calendar. Now I can focus on how to better prepare and support leaders!”
“It is really important to take care of myself. I am planning a vacation, seeking support, and no longer doing ministry alone.”
From whence did Plan-It come? Possibly from alien worlds? You might think so, but in reality it came from my living room.
For several years our youth minister—let’s call him Ben (which works since that is his name)—came to my living room for a day in the spring. Our objective was to lay out the programs and themes for the next year.
After about four years, we thought it would be fun to invite other churches to join us. I think the next time we met with 10 churches in my living room. It was so much fun I did it two more times with more churches. I was surprised at the reaction. People loved it! They valued the time, the space to work alongside others, and the opportunity to steal each other’s ideas. The beginners and the veterans seemed to equally value this time.
“Plan-It” became the term the following year. Suddenly, we were taking the Plan-It process to various locations around the country. We continue to do this, and we love every experience. Like one participant said, “I normally go to a workshop or conference and maybe come away with one thing I might use. I went to a Plan-It and found that everything was practical and usable!”
The book includes the lenses, tools, ideas, and helps we use in the one-day Plan-It workshop, plus numerous extras not covered in that time.