Episode 284: Where Have the High Schoolers Gone? with Brian Aaby

<div class="smart-track-player-container stp-color-ed702b-ed702b spp-stp-desktop" data-uid="1fda342e"></div><div class="spp-shsp-form spp-shsp-form-1fda342e"></div> <p>In this episode, Brian Aaby from the Slingshot Group shares some of his experiences and interactions with ministry leaders who are asking the question, &#8220;Where have the high schoolers gone?&#8221; He also speaks about the top three things churches can look for within their next youth ministry hire.</p> <h2>Brian Aaby</h2> <p>Connect with Brian through <a href="mailto:[email protected]">Email</a></p> <h2>Clearstream</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clearstream works with thousands of churches worldwide and integrates with tools your church already uses such as MailChimp, Church Community Builder, Rock RMS, Planning Center, and more. Find out more at <a href="https://clearstream.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clearstream.io</a>.</span></p> <h2><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Volunteer Playbook</span></h2> <p><em><strong>My first book is out! Buy the book by visiting <a href="http://www.volunteerplaybook.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">volunteerplaybook.com</a> or by visiting <a href="https://amzn.to/43yCluS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amazon</a>. </strong></em></p> <h2>Episode Notes</h2> <p>Observations from Slingshot, in regard to high-school attendance dropping within the church:</p> <ul> <li>Rise in searches for staffing with many youth pastors leaving their roles</li> <li>Frustrated executive leadership who are unable to find and keep youth pastors</li> <li>The 2nd most formative time in the lives of adolescents is between 11 to 14 years old</li> <li>Kids who were 11-14 during the pandemic are now 14-17 years old, and their neuro-paths were formed uniquely during that time <ul> <li>Bottom Line: High schoolers today were affected by the pandemic in ways we are just now witnessing</li> </ul> </li> <li>Some pastors may need to extend some more grace to that youth pastor experiencing</li> <li>May need to track different types of attendance than just your large gathering of students to truly evaluate engagement <ul> <li>Ex: small Bible study on a separate night with students who cannot attend a youth service</li> </ul> </li> <li>Read Brian's Article <a href="https://slingshotgroup.org/blog/where-have-the-high-schoolers-gone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HERE</a></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The current state of church staff searching within NextGen:</p> <ul> <li>Changes on average every 3 months, increasing and then decreasing again</li> <li>The average church using Slingshot is between 800-1500 <ul> <li>Average searches are now taking longer</li> <li>Expectations have had to change</li> </ul> </li> <li>Churches must start building their own benches through residencies and internships</li> <li style="list-style-type: none;"></li> </ul> <h2>Action Items</h2> <ol> <li><span data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Talk to other student ministers&quot;}" data-sheets-userformat="{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}">Talk to other student ministers</span></li> <li><span data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Prepare your leaders for helping teens&quot;}" data-sheets-userformat="{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}">Prepare your leaders to help teens</span></li> <li><span data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Focus on smaller groups&quot;}" data-sheets-userformat="{&quot;2&quot;:513,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;12&quot;:0}">Focus on smaller groups</span></li> </ol> <h2>Ministry Boost Coaching is back!</h2> <p><a href="https://ministryboost.org/coaching/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to check out the amazing benefits of coaching groups with Ministry Boost.</a></p> <h2>Get An Email When Each New Episode Comes Out</h2> <p>Use the form below to subscribe to my email list where you’ll get an email each Tuesday when a new podcast comes out.<br /> <script src="https://ministry-boost.ck.page/894c7a7be4/index.js" async="" data-uid="894c7a7be4"></script></p> <h2>Subscribe | Share | Rate | Comment</h2> <p>To make sure you never miss a post, hit the subscribe button in <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/nick-blevins-family-ministry/id1114357026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/m/I5jepv5xvtrr4g5ehddm4usvy2y?t=Nick_Blevins_Family_Ministry_Podcast_Children__Youth__Students__NextGen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google Play</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=90266&refid=stpr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stitcher</a>, or <a href="http://tunein.com/radio/Nick-Blevins-Family-Ministry-Podcast-p877774/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tune In</a> radio. Keep your friends and co-workers up-to-date as well by sharing it with them via email or social media.</p> <h2>Special Sponsor: Clearstream</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This episode is sponsored by Clearstream. <a href="https://clearstream.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clearstream.io</a> works with thousands of churches worldwide and integrates with tools your church already uses such as MailChimp, Church Community Builder, Rock RMS, Planning Center, and more. You can get started on a free-trial, and if you're with a new church plant under 1 year old can use Clearstream free for 12 months.</span></p>