The Agency

JOURNEY KIDS & TEENS

Here's some important intel for all Agents of the mission at The Journey. Get to know Journey Kids & Teens so you can be on mission and help parents take steps at The Journey.

A big thanks to all our kids volunteers who make an impact on our littlest Journeyers. Journey Kids leaders & classes look to celebrate kid's next steps and help kids connect with Jesus. It's about knowing that God made them, God loves them and He wants to be their forever friend. It's about helping kids to grow in wisdom, friendship and faith. It's about learning how the Bible can help them take next steps. So watch the video below from the J.A.A.C.'s for some more highlights and say thanks to one of our Journey Kids volunteers.

We know that students are at a critical point in their life. We want to be on the frontlines with students to help them take next steps with God, their parents and peers. It's been a great year of watching our leaders and students take next steps while having some fun along the way. Give a Journey Teen leader a high-five next time you see them.

For more on Journey Kids & Teens, click here.

WHERE WE'VE BEEN - WHERE WE'RE GOING

If you haven't seen the annual review, make sure you take some time to look at it and celebrate all God has done over this past year in and through us at The Journey. Thanks for living out the mission! You can check it out here.

LESS IS MORE

Almost every month, we kick off a new series at The Journey. We'll spend a month on one main concept and we'll break it down into four key points over the month. Why? This approach is based in how people apply concepts to their lives, how they digest content & how life change happens.

When we share about God & His ways, we want to do it in relevant, creative & memorable ways. We don't want to be arrogant, but we want to present things with respect to God and to people at different places spiritually. We could talk over peoples heads to make us look smart or to pretend we are deep, but we are more focused on relationships, not religion. Our goal isn't to just share knowledge for people to fill up a notebook. Our goal is for people to apply God's words to their lives to experience a real relationship with Him. IT'S ALL ABOUT LIFE CHANGE. We want to give people a BIG concept each month and break it down into real steps they can take to experience God in their lives. When you think about it, that's pretty deep. Most people can't remember what they heard at church the week before, so we try to hammer home a key concept over a month.  Hopefully, there's some memorable & relevant next steps to walk away with and to apply to your life. We review some key concepts each year that are big issues in everyones lives. Basically, it's a journey, a process. Some people might say we aren't deep enough because they want to experience a "wow" with some random piece of knowledge they've never heard. We're more concerned with applying God's word. With all the smartphones, facebook status updates and info on the internet, our lives are filled with random information. So we see this strategy as less is more - give people more steps and thoughts on less topics to help them experience God & His ways. We're in it for the long haul. This is why we also talk about next steps, give ideas and opportunities to apply God's ways in our lives. God is the one who changes lives so we always point people to Him. 

So what about you? This is a key concept for all volunteers especially those teaching kids, teens or leading a group. This is a great idea for your family & raising your kids as well. Are you communicating with the goal in mind? Are you just sharing knowledge or is it about next steps?

For more thoughts on this topic, check out Teaching Less For More on practicalspeaking.org. A lot of these thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

CHURCH FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE CHURCH

When we started The Journey, we saw a need for something different. There are a lot of churches doing some good things in our area but they did the same things and looked like the other churches. We realized that if we were going to reach people who weren't getting reached, we would have to do things that other churches don't do. We began to think, ask people and research why people don't go to church. What has kept them away? Why did they stop going? With that in mind, we began to think about how we could break down walls and unfold arms for people to be able to connect with God. We wanted to create an environment and some steps for people at all different spiritual places on their journey. We want people to experience relationships, not religion. There are a lot of things that play into this process like style of music, music playing before church, coffee bar, language we use on stage or publications, what's on the slides, being relevant, how the message is presented, the look & feel of the building, dim lights, volume of the music...the list goes on and on. This doesn't mean we water down the message, avoid hard topics, or don't call people to follow God. It means we don't make assumptions, we respect people & the process and we present everything for people to take first steps or next steps.

We never want to lose sight of this. Every week we have guests. Every week might be someone's one of only shot at church; the one time that they give God a chance. We want to make sure that in everything we do from Sundays, to Networks, to Kids/Teens, to Group, to our own relationships - we live with that pressure. We never want to overlook people just because we're focused on ourselves. So what about you? In your areas of serving at The Journey & in the relationships in your life, are you sensitive to those far from God?

For more thoughts on this topic, check out Listening to Outsiders on  practicalspeaking.org. A lot of these thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

NARROW THE FOCUS & THINK STEPS NOT PROGRAMS

At The Journey, we focus on relationships, not religion. We want people to take first steps and next steps to look beyond themselves. Our bottom line is for people to connect with 3 Key Relationships: with God, with people far from God, and with other journeyers to help each other in life. We want that vision to determine all that we do as a church. We don't want to just do some good things. We don't want to just start some various events or programs. We do want to help people take steps in those relationships. 

Have you ever gone into a restaurant and they have a huge menu and you have no idea what to order? They might have everything from italian to mexican to asian. That usually makes me feel overwhelmed with what seems like a whole lot of nothing. I typically enjoy the speciality places. They do a few things and they do them well. They are known for those things. 

We want to be a church that does relationships well. A church that is focused and does things with quality, not quantity, so we are more effective. So we have our vision that drives us. We don't want to do things just because that is the way they've always been done or just start a program just because it sounds good. Instead of just thinking about meeting a need or starting various programs, we think through what steps are needed to help people experience relationships, not religion. What steps do you need to have a personal relationship with God? What steps do you need to take to look beyond yourself? As we think through those steps that help people walk through the three key relationships, we also want to narrow the focus. We want to make the steps clear & easy. If there are too many steps on the menu, the most effective steps can be lost. We often get asked to start certain programs. A lot of times we say no or maybe later. It's not because we are against these things; it's just that we are thinking through steps and narrowing the focus. Lots of activity doesn't equal taking next steps in relationships. We don't want people who are busy in good activities, but don't have time to personally connect with God, or looking beyond themselves, or invest in relationships with people who don't know God. We constantly evaluate our steps and how we can make it easier for people to connect in relationships.

For more thoughts on narrowing the focus & thinking steps, check out practicalspeaking.org. A lot of these thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

 

CLARIFY THE WIN

Could you imagine a soccer game with no goals? How about a competition on Top Shot with no targets? What about basketball with no hoops? It would be hard to win with nothing to hit. The same is true for us as a church. We want to have a vision, a target, because if we aim for nothing, that's exactly what we'll hit...nothing. So as a church we want to clarify the "wins". We want to know what we are shooting for as a church so we know if we are accomplishing the vision (aka winning).

You might hear us say that we are all about relationships, not religion. For us that means that we don't want to just do some religious activities or have some religious thoughts. We want to be a church filled with people who are in a relationships with God and they are living it out. That is why we say we want people to take first steps & next steps in their relationships, especially with God.

Jesus did clarified the wins. He was asked what is the greatest thing to do in life. His answer: Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself. In his last words on earth, Jesus gave a goal for all of those who follow Him. He called us to go make disciples. Jesus said it's all about relationships - with God and others and those far from God. So the bottom line for us is to help people experience those 3 key relationships: with God, with people far from God, and in a relationship with others where we can be in a mutual relationship to live life together and encourage each other to look beyond ourselves.

So we have this vision of relationships not religion. We want people to take first steps & next steps to look beyond themselves. We want people to be in a relationship with God, with others on the journey and with those far from God. Every place has a mission statement these days - some are on a plaque on the wall. I've heard this question: Is what's on the wall matching up with what's going on in the halls? It does no good to clarify the wins if we don't actually live them out. I love seeing people plugged in B90X right now & those who pick up Journey Bibles. I love seeing the baptism videos. I love seeing volunteers grasp the vision and give up time to serve. I love seeing people invite others to church. I meet new people every week. I love seeing marriage restored. I love seeing people make an impact serving in our community and all the way to Kenya. I love seeing that because we know we are hitting the target. There are lots of good things we can do as a church but we never want to lose site of those 3 key relationships. It's all about relationships, not religion!

For more thoughts on clarifying the win, check out practicalspeaking.org. A lot of our thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

BELONG BEFORE BELIEVE

There has been a long standing concept of you have to have it all together before you can serve or be part of a church. I never really understand that. The Bible is full of people with messed up lives and if the apostle Paul still felt like he had a long way to go, then so do we. We have seen the opposite of this concept at The Journey as well. We have given people the space to process their questions and explore a relationship with Jesus. Many people come for a long time before they even believe. Many people feel part of our church before they believe...they feel like they belong here. This has made some interesting and challenging dynamics. We have people who serve in many areas that are still in process. You might see someone in the band or welcoming you at the doors...they might feel like they belong before they even believe. Life is a journey...it's organic. Not everyone takes the same steps in the same order. We have to set some boundaries - like leaders or people who teach the lesson in journey kids need to have an established relationship with Jesus - but we will continue to live with some tension in this area. So invite someone to serve with you. It will open conversations about God and it can help them take their next step towards or in their relationship with Jesus.

THE MORE YOU KNOW: MUSIC

Have you seen the NBC spots to help you get life on track?  Well Agents, here's some info to give you a bigger idea on method behind the music. We hope this info will give you a bigger understanding for yourself and as you assist people in the future:

 Music plays a key part of what we do on Sundays. It sets the tone and evokes emotions. So our vision is to add artistic elements that are relevant so people continue to explore and connect with Jesus. We want to provide music & an environment that invites people, those who are exploring or those who are following, to open themselves up to Jesus or at least to start thinking about Him. 

Here are some key elements we work towards: 
Quality – we want to have quality in music so we are not distracting
Worshipful – we want to lead people to Jesus and a connection with Him
Familiar – songs will be rotated and introduced so they become known..ie monthly feature song
Simple – easy to play, easy to mix, easy for people to participate - this is why we don't have a big teams.
Mood – we want to create a great environment and big first impression
Different – if we are going to reach people not being reached, we need to do things other churches aren’t doing. 

To create a different environment that creates mood & points people to Jesus we also value these ideas:

ROCK - We want to have different types of music, but mainly a rock/pop sound
WORDS – we don’t want to pick songs that have confusing or Christian-ese words or concepts
ENGAGING, YET NOT A SHOW – We have to be entertaining to a point of engaging people without being showy or drawing attention away from God
REPURPOSE MUSIC – taking secular music and repurposing it for our lives. This makes the message relevant and helps break down walls with familiar songs. If we can re-define a song for God's message, when people hear it during the week, hopefully they will think back to God.
MIX – we need a good mix of music…fast to slow…also…celebrative to introspective. We want more upbeat, energy filled songs than mild pop songs. The volume is a little on the louder side since we play more on the rock side. This makes it feel more comfortable for most, more like a concert and because we have less people participating, it fills the room.

When it comes to music there are lots of opinions and ideas. Music can be a very personal thing and there are such broad music genres. We also ask people to put purpose over preference as we help people take first & next steps.

THE MORE YOU KNOW: JOURNEY KIDS

Have you seen the NBC spots to help you get life on track?  Well Agents, here's some info to give you a bigger idea on how we keep our Journey Kids programs on track. We hope this info will give you a bigger understanding for yourself and as you assist people in the future:

Journey Kids ~ the best hour of a kids’ week!  We really want that to happen, but it doesn’t without God’s awesome power and amazing volunteers.  In Journey Kids it’s our desire that kids know the Truths that God loves them, God made them and Jesus wants to be their Forever Friend.  They sound simple enough, but how many of us adults need to hear and really believe it daily!  

At The Journey we often talk about taking next steps....and it’s the same in Journey Kids.  Next steps for kids are all different depending on if they’re followers of Jesus.  If not, the first step may be coming, following Jesus, connecting with other kids, wanting to know God more (take home sheets are great to help parents and kids take the main point home and apply it!)  It may be praying at home or school.  Learning what it means to live out their faith on the playground and at home, not just at church.  For some others it may be baptism - the outward sign and declaration of the inward change that they’re followers of Jesus and trust in Him.  

 We want kids to grow up knowing that God is real.  God is here.  God cares about where I’m at.  Jesus grew in wisdom, and if I’m a follower I need to be growing as well.  (This is one of the main truths for 1st-5th graders). 

Journey Kids isn’t just about next steps for kids, it’s also about parents.  We see kids for an average of 40 hours each year.  Not much if you compare it to the number of hours kids are with their parents.  That’s where we’re trying to help parents take next steps by providing resources like the take home sheets and online, Child Dedications (yes parents it’s about you making that commitment to raise your kids to follow Jesus and live it out daily), Next Steps Nights, Community Groups and opportunities to serve together.  If you’re wanting to know more, check your connect card.....

So as you see kids running around on Sunday mornings with donuts and (gasp!) sometimes Mountain Dew remember that they are a part of God's story.  God loves them and wants them to know Him.  They are taking next steps too, not just eating animal crackers and running around!  Volunteers are there early and come in during the week to cut out pieces of paper into shapes so the littlest ones can begin to see and understand God's love.  Parents are exhausted and don't know where to begin to tell their kids about God. That's where Journey Kids comes in, to provide resources, show kids and tell kids of God's love. 

WHERE WE'VE BEEN - WHERE WE'RE GOING

If you haven't read through it - or if you just skimmed it - take some time to get familiar with our past steps and our next big steps ahead for this year. Read the Digital Booklet here  or pick one up at the Next Steps Table at church.