tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61498928275236805912024-03-12T21:14:45.154-04:00The ADD Youth PastorAndy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.comBlogger1013125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-79286965801848027912018-05-22T11:40:00.000-04:002018-05-22T16:01:15.307-04:00New Site is up and Running
My new web site which now hosts my blog posts is up and fully functional.
You can check it out at andylawrenson.com .
There is also a monthly email sign up. In the near future I plan on shooting out a short email once a month with a helpful ministry article and some links to other good articles to read.
Thanks for stopping by the old blog location. Now cruise on over to my new Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-71566877891599806872018-01-04T20:56:00.000-05:002018-01-04T20:56:20.296-05:00Made the Top 40 Youth Ministry Blogs
My blog made #30 out of the top 40 youth ministry blogs according to Feedspot.com.
I don't know what that means but "thanks!"
If you stop by this blog site my new blog can be found HERE.
Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-4752998805467831072017-09-16T09:56:00.002-04:002017-09-16T09:56:44.932-04:00Blog has moved to a new homeThe ADD Youth Pastor has moved. Find my future blog posts HERE.Since coming on board with the Faith in Focus speaker's bureau we have built me a new home at andylawrenson.com .Thanks for checking out my blog.
Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-65059558790959066772017-09-14T06:37:00.003-04:002017-09-16T09:51:52.661-04:00For the Hurting Youth Pastor (and a few parents)
I woke up this morning with heartache for a brother. I don’t know the guy, never met the guy. All I know is this guy’s passion is to see teenagers lives impacted with the good news of Jesus Christ. He was the first person on my mind when my eyes opened from a dead sleep. This brother posted on a youth ministry FB group yesterday this post: “Would you pray for me. No Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-12854518821231069412017-09-11T13:37:00.001-04:002017-09-11T13:37:42.578-04:00Recharge Your BatterySummer amps up our busyness as student ministers. It’s packed full of
special events, camps, and oftentimes multiple mission trips. I just
returned back from my most recent mission trip, which took me away from
my family for ten days. Add to that a mission trip at the start of the
summer and two weeks of camp, and it shouldn’t surprise you that my
battery is low. Maybe, like me, you Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-62646584247823088322017-09-07T15:00:00.000-04:002017-09-07T15:00:24.676-04:00New Site
I'm excited to announce I have a new web site. The site is still under construction but is up and running. I don't know the technical side of stuff but at some point addyouthpastor.com will merge with Andylawrenson.com. My blog posts will then be posted on my new site. I just posted a new post this morning on the site. Feel free to jump over and check it out.
Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-77716442103244568632017-09-05T06:00:00.000-04:002017-09-04T22:08:06.054-04:00New AdventureFor the past few years I have been praying about my next 15 years in ministry. I have several areas I'm passionate about:
1. My Savior and Lord Jesus Christ
This passion is fulfilled each and every day by my God, spending time with Him in His Word and prayer and watching Him at work in my life and the lives of those around me.
2. My wife and my children, my family
I am so thankful to GodAndy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-80165049862052198652017-08-28T08:50:00.003-04:002017-08-28T08:51:27.428-04:00The Distractions
I find it so easy to get sidetracked. I sit down to the computer to do write a message for student church then I find myself ten minutes later reading an article about manatees and the Florida Everglades. How does this happen?
It is so easy to lose focus in life. We are being bombarded with distractions. I have found, in my past 25 years of church leadership, that ChristiansAndy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-45760745212697699022017-08-01T13:27:00.004-04:002017-08-01T13:29:34.841-04:00The House that Personality BuiltEverything is going great. The student ministry is growing, students are getting involved. Adults are getting excited about student ministry and joining the volunteer team. The youth pastor is stoked about how well things are going. Each week he is knocking it out of the park when he teaches. Daily he is making contacts with students. His social Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-91636621639787210712017-07-25T05:00:00.000-04:002017-07-25T05:00:04.730-04:00The Chaperone SyndromeYou feel like you just walked into a middle school dance. You see them lined up agains the back wall. They aren’t the tough eighth grade boys. They aren’t the shy girls afraid to dance. You just stepped into the youth room for youth group and there you see them, the chaperones.
Here is the mistake that happens often in student ministry: we recruit adult volunteersAndy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-241589667342375212017-07-19T11:46:00.000-04:002017-07-19T11:46:14.889-04:00When You Realize You Need a ResetThis morning in my morning quiet time I wrote the following:
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 Fear can hold us back from doing what God wants us to do. Sometimes the unknown of what lies ahead can be daunting. If what lies ahead is from God it sure can Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-68367546320670573782017-06-30T10:24:00.003-04:002017-06-30T10:24:46.595-04:00I'm Getting RefueledI have been to the big national conferences. They were fun, I learned some stuff. But Refuel Retreat has been a totally different experience. If you get $$ to go to conferences or continuing ed I strongly urge you to check this out.Here's why: As youth pastor you are the point person, in the lead, the buck stops here, in your church's youth ministry. We cannot lead on empty. Big ballrooms full ofAndy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-8801440007907823582017-06-28T09:08:00.004-04:002017-06-28T09:09:21.503-04:00My Mission Trip Experience
I just returned last week from the island of Eleuthera. On the island there is a Christian sports camp, Camp Bahamas. Camp Bahamas is reaching Bahamian youth with the love of Jesus Christ and the gospel. The nation of the Bahamas is in what I would call a dangerous position. Last year seventy-five percent of all child-births were to singe moms. 75%!! Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-60560569506134627052017-06-26T08:05:00.002-04:002017-06-26T08:05:37.604-04:00Your Summer Ministry ChecklistWelcome to summer, everyone! For most of us, summer is a super busy
season filled with camps, mission trips, amusement park days, retreats,
service projects….the list goes on. We love these events, but they
require a huge time investment on top of our normal planning and weekly
programming. With all the busyness that comes with this wonderful season
of sunshine and pool parties, let’s make Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-29266902859861219792017-06-01T15:47:00.002-04:002017-06-01T15:49:30.366-04:00What's in it for the church?
Keanae Congregational Church, Keanae, Maui, Hi.
Whenever someone is trying to sell me one something I naturally ask “what’s in it for me?”. Same goes with your church. You may be in a church culture that has been solidly rooted in the idea that the staff does the ministry. “I drop my money in the plate each week so we can pay you to be the one that stays up all night with Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-73930920089128995452017-05-17T12:05:00.000-04:002017-05-17T12:05:22.082-04:00Distractions
I find it so easy to get sidetracked. I sit down to the computer to do write a message for student church then I find myself ten minutes later reading an article about manatees and the Florida Everglades. How does this happen? It is so easy to lose focus in life. We are being bombarded with distractions.
I have found, in my past 25 years of church leadership, that Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-29425804441047734182017-05-03T11:36:00.000-04:002017-05-03T11:36:15.345-04:00Life is Hard
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12
Romans 12 is a great chapter full of what I would call a "to do" list. You should read it.
Life is not easy. It doesn't take long living this life to realize we
will have times that hard. Sometimes it is our own fault and the result
of decisions we have made. There are consequences to our Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-76522534516861183472017-04-25T10:36:00.002-04:002017-04-25T10:36:47.019-04:00When tragedy strengthens your teamWe are so focused on ministering to students we can tend to forget to minister to our awesome volunteers on our team. Here are some suggestions when you have a team member experience tragedy or loss, hard times.Pray. Don’t make prayer the last resort but make prayer your first priority. Pray and ask God to give strength, peace, healing to the one who is suffering. Don’t just Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-43047009319059975112017-04-12T16:43:00.001-04:002017-04-12T16:43:33.703-04:00The Holidays. What do you do with them?We are heading into the holiday season. I know, not Christmas, but April, May and June bring a few special Sundays. We have Easter this weekend. Mother’s Day is on May 14. Memorial Day weekend Sunday, May 28. Father’s Day is June 18.
Our approach to these holidays shows that we value family. Students are busier now than they ever have been.
Families are Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-82918163401304903312017-04-05T13:47:00.002-04:002017-04-05T13:47:31.231-04:00Intentional Summer Ministry
Catch my latest blog post for LeaderTreks
Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-53616625497845324802017-03-28T16:30:00.000-04:002017-03-28T16:33:20.149-04:00Mission Trip Evening DevotionsThis summer I will be taking our students to the island of Eleuthera on a mission trip. The majority of the fifteen member team have been on the trip, only four newbies. For most of the team this will be their third trip to Eleuthera. Like camps and retreats even a mission trip can become a routine.
We are changing up our morning quiet time journals and evening team meeting Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-90364480500628661432017-03-16T11:04:00.003-04:002017-03-16T11:05:41.144-04:00Getting in the way of ministry“What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”
Jethro gave his son-in-law Moses some great advice. Jethro arrives on the scene and find Moses sitting and listening to disputes among the people. From morning till night he was a judge, a mediator, and not getting much done because he was Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-2088222885145246322017-03-03T05:00:00.000-05:002017-03-03T05:00:16.663-05:00Leadership Labratories
Maximizing Your Summer Mission Trip as a Leadership Lab
By Andy Lawrenson February 28, 2017
In 2015, we took our first overseas mission trip to the island
of Eleuthera. Our students willingly did everything that we asked them
to do, and we considered the trip to be a great success. Soon afterward,
I picked up the idea of leadership laboratories at a LeaderTreks Refuel Retreat.
I Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-59521150825077725892017-03-01T09:58:00.000-05:002017-03-08T06:34:34.042-05:00Busy Busy BusyBusy, I get it.
Conversations with parents and students keep pointing and taking us to the conclusion that students and families are super busy and perhaps even operating on an overload. So as student ministries we see this affect and impact our momentum. It’s hard to grow a church when the members show up once a month for worship. It’s hard to grow a student ministry when Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6149892827523680591.post-30531049459976888192017-02-24T05:00:00.000-05:002017-02-22T10:49:39.453-05:00The Secret to Recruiting VolunteersMy latest blog post for LeaderTreks
The struggle is real when it comes to recruiting youth ministry volunteers. At some point, most of us have felt like we’ve tried everything only to have nothing work.
Our list of frustrations looks something like this:
I’ve asked, and no one has expressed interest.
Everyone is too busy to volunteer their time to work with students.
Our church just isn’t Andy Lawrensonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13906649253434836772noreply@blogger.com0