This past Saturday, I left my position as a youth associate to take my first official youth pastor position at a church plant.

As I reflect on my last 9 years of youth ministry, I started asking myself, “What were the most important lessons I have learned about youth ministry?” I’ve found that one of the most important lessons we can learn is learning how to earn influence with students so we can make a lasting impact in their lives.

So how do we do this?

You Earn Influencing by Caring – John Maxwell has taught us all, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” That’s a fact. Students know whether or not we genuinely care through our words, eye contact, and the time we spend with them. Be intentional when it comes to caring for your students. Encourage them, pray for them, be there when they need you, and point them to Jesus every chance you get.

You Earn Influence Through Creating Memories – Every time I am with students, I ask the question, “What could we do right now that would create a memory that we will never forget?” The more memories you make, the more influence you’ll have!

You Earn Influence Through Leading by Example – It’s true that students will do what you do, not what you say. You can preach the greatest sermon ever, but if your life doesn’t back it up, you will not earn any influence with students. If you teach it, make sure you are living it.

You Earn Influence by Being Vulnerable – I’m extremely vulnerable with our students. I am myself around them, I share my weaknesses, and I share my hurts with them. I remember asking some of our core students this summer if my vulnerability made my influence with them more credible or less credible. Without hesitation, they all said, “more credible.” Be vulnerable. Be Real. Be You.

Thoughts?

Last night, I went to see Justin Bieber’s new movie: Never Say Never. I know what a lot of you are thinking. I thought the same thing when I heard Justin Bieber was coming out with a movie. I was wrong. You are wrong. The movie was awesome! I never review a movie on the blog, unless it’s a must see!

I ended up seeing the movie because a lot of business men and ministry leaders I respect saw it and loved it. They said it was very inspirational and a great business movie as well.

I’m so glad I saw it. I can officially say I have Bieber Fever. Justin Bieber is for real.

Here are some takeaways from the movie:

Social Media is one of the Most Powerful Tools on the Planet - Bieber got started by posting his videos on You Tube. Seriously. Then he started using Twitter. It took him to another level. Justin is proof that social media is a platform to reach the world!

Never Say Never - Justin Bieber is the first artist in history to sell out Madison Sqaure Garden in his first show there. It sold out in 22 minutes. That’s incredible. Justin believes in himself, in his gifts, and in his dreams. He just goes for it. He never says never. As a result, he’s living a life that a lot of us can only dream of living!

Put God First – Bieber and his family are Christians! It was awesome watching them all pray together throughout the movie! That fired me up!

Be You – This is some of the best advice I ever received, but Bieber lives it! He is himself all the time. I was definitely encouraged to just be me!

Be Bold - Justin just goes for it. The first time he saw Usher, he ran up to him and asked him if he could sing for him. Justin went after his dreams with complete confidence, that is one of the main reasons he is where he is today!

Give Back an Encourage Others – My favorite part in the movie is when Justin goes back to his hometown and there is a young girl playing violin on the street where Justin used to play. He said, “I used to play on this street too, keep going after your dreams! I believe in you!” The whole movie encourages people to believe in themselves and go after their dreams.

Don’t Judge People When You Don’t Know Their Story - I didn’t know anything about Bieber before seeing this movie. I had all the pre-conceived notions that you probably do. After seeing the movie. I admire that kid! He is the man!

There were plenty of other lessons in the movie… You’ll just have to see it for yourself.

Thoughts?

Before I start sharing about the next step and season of my life, I need to let the world know why Victory Family Church is so amazing! I’ve been going to church there for 9 years, I interned there for 3 years and I was on staff for 3 years! It’s been an honor to see the behind the scenes of how such an amazing church works. Here are just a few reasons it’s such an incredible church:

The Best of the Best Leadership – If I had to name only one thing that I was thankful for about my time at Victory, it’d be Pastor John and Michelle! I’ve only been around for 9 years out of the churches 17 year old history, but the amount of people that have been reached, equipped, and unleashed into the world to make a difference is unbelievable. Pastor John and Michelle believe in and love people more than anyone I’ve ever met. They’ve established a structure for people to grow up spiritually and have an awesome foundation to build their lives on. To have sat under their leadership for 9 years has been the greatest experience of my life.

They Love People More than Anybody I’ve Ever Met – Seriously! Everything the church does is for one purpose, reaching people for God. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from, what you’ve done, or what you’re going through, people at Victory will love you. As Pastor John says, “We’re not here to see through you, we’re here to see you through.”

The Vision is Huge – Reach a generation of people for God. I’m not sure it gets any bigger than that! There is no greater fulfillment in life than pursuing a huge, God-given vision. It makes everyday exciting! Everyday becomes a day you can make a difference in someone’s life. Everyday you get the opportunity to help reach a generation. It makes life so much more exciting!

Families are a Priority -If you go in the building, you’ll realize that most of the building is made for children and youth! Victory believes in reaching the next generation with the best resources available! I’m telling you, if you have children, teenagers, or twenty-somethings, you need to get them to Victory!

The Staff is Amazing! -My favorite people on the planet, with the exception of my family, are the people on staff at Victory! You will not find better people on the planet! From the pastors to the cleaning crew, everyone is amazing! Everyone is on board with the vision and is committed to it! They are the same people in public as they are in private.

They Have a Ministry for Everybody – Children ministry? Check. Youth Ministry? Check. Twenty-Somethings? Check! Adult Ministry? Check! Bible School? Check. Spiritual Development Classes? Check. Drug and Alcohol recovery? Check. I could go on and on. Victory has found a way to reach everybody! The best part, they aren’t just ministries thrown together, they are all done with excellence!

They Want to See the Plan of God Come to Pass in Your Life More than Anything - I remember talking to Pastor John about going with Pastor Larry. I said, “Pastor John, I want to go, but I also love you and Michelle so much! I love your vision and always want to serve it!” He said, “Bubba, if you want to serve me and Michelle, go and do what God called you to do and reach as many people as you possible can. That means more to us than anything!” So many people have been raised up through Victory and end up going to do a great work for God. Now it’s my turn! I’m so thankful for the foundation they’ve laid in me!

I could go on and on and on. But I’ll end saying this: If you’re looking for a great church to be a part of. If you’re searching for God, if you want to go deeper in your relationship with God, if you’re looking to have your life changed, if you’re looking to change your family forever, if you’re looking to be a part of something bigger than yourself, if you’re looking to grow spiritually, if you’re looking to make great friends, then you need to go to Victory Family Church.

It’s changed my life forever and I know it will do the same for you.

Thanks Victory Family Church…. For Everything.

-Bubs