Have You Used These?

We have been discussing how important it is to encourage the students in your youth group ministry. In my last entry, I offered phrases that work great for encouraging kids. Today let’s begin to look at some practical ways you may be able to encourage students in your group.

As I go through some of these ideas in the next few articles, I understand that not all of these will work for all readers. That is ok. As the saying goes, “Eat the chicken, spit out the feathers!”

Two simple but effective ways to encourage youth in your ministry is through telephone calls and letters. It is a powerful thing when a youth leader calls one of his students on the phone just to see how they are doing. Some good reasons to call could be:

– To invite them to the next youth meeting/activity.

– To ask them how they are doing or how a particular event went that
they were involved with.

– If they were sick – check on him/her.

– To thank them for a particular service or duty performed at the
church.

– Remind them of a promise of our Lord from the scripture.

There are many other reasons a leader may call but those are just a few ideas.
Remember to follow a few rules if you are calling a student:

– Don’t call too late at night. There are kids who are not allowed to receive calls after certain times. Be family friendly!

– Be sure to say who you are and that you are calling from the church. This way a parent knows what adult is calling for their child.

– Keep your call short and let them know you look forward to seeing him/her that week at church.

Another super effective technique for encouraging kids is to send them a note, particularly a hand-written note. First of all, most young people really do not receive much mail so getting something can be sort of cool for them. Second, a hand written note shows that you as a leader really took time to think about them and that makes a strong impression.

A short hand written note letting John or Sandi know that you are thinking about them, praying for them, and you really appreciate them is a powerful ministry tool.

Also, the note is something the student can keep as a constant source of encouragement. I can see where many of my youth keep notes I have written them inside their bibles. I recommend you set a goal of sending five notes of encouragement every week. Just choose a day, spend a few minutes writing the notes and drop them in the mail. It will be well worth it!

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