Everybody welcome to the beanie podcast. My name is Mingo as always trying to bring you just something that you can put into practice right where you're at today as you listen alongside of us myself several other leaders all over the country as we kind of make our way through this season of church today I'm calling this episode study buddies and shared spaces study buddies and shared spaces And the reason why we're gonna talk about study buddies and shared spaces because these are two of the most Successful I think things that we happened upon in the last two months while we've been you know making our way back to some regular version of church Study buddies and shared spaces has been like these two absolute gems that we accidentally landed on top of And it was a little bit of trust a little bit of innovation And I just think a whole lot of willingness to just get out there and try so let's get into the episode before We dive into the details always always always a special thank you to robert and the rebel fish local Company and studio it's where we record every single episode in southern california because they've got the best food. You got the best base Yes, best star chocolate. We got the best snacks as we're unpacking this episode.
So Grab a pen and here's what I want to do. I want to encourage you. This is an easy conversation. This is an easy Concept to Implement inside of your space one of them is for the everyday leader The second one is for the lead guy the leader of leaders.
So Depending upon where you're at in this episode Maybe you're going to bring this idea to your executive team. Maybe you bring it to your lead pastor And this is something that can be a total breakthrough for you in your community So the first one is study buddies. I'm going to give a massive massive shout out and recognition to our student ministries pastor who And as we have been examining and really taking kind of a keen eye in our local school system Our schools have not come back together yet And depending upon who you talk to right one of it one person would say it's totally about safety Another person would say it's all about politics Right, there's a lot of money that school systems and school districts are saving by not having students In the classroom and if your school district is in debt This is a way that they're making their way out of that debt super political I'm not here to talk about that. Uh what I am here to talk about is how you can best serve The families in your churches who have students who are usually going to a classroom in order to learn so Three weeks ago I hear from our children's pastor that there are Cohorts of students that are coming together with tutors at certain parents homes And a few students will go to a particular person's house and a tutor will meet in there and kind of walk them through their school It's called pandemic pods or something.
Yeah, totally. That's exactly what they're called And each of these pods are it's crazy If the if like the city hears about the city like totally boohoo's it tells you you know how dare you get together in a pod but at the end of the day we know human rhythms people learn better in groups people are able to focus better when there's a A larger trajectory of people going in the same direction It's so difficult when you're all by yourself. You have to have a massive amount of self-discipline When you're by yourself to make any sort of progress, especially in a new learning. Oh, yeah, right.
So I asked my student ministry pastor on a recommendation from our kidsman pastor who has Kids who are both in high school and in college and she says Man, I'm so disappointed. I'm so bummed that my student has to be at home by himself Right either on a zoom call or after all the zoom calls are done at noon has to finish the rest of the day all by themselves Because I'm at work And so I approached the artist student ministry director shout out nick mulchery the most willing guy go Nick on the team I say Nick, what would it look like to open up a study hall in one of our spaces at our church from let's say noon start with a lunch and open it up to like 4 or 5 p.m When parents usually get off of work and just use our church Wi-Fi open up like the Common community room that we have it's got kind of an indoor outdoor footprint. We got a back patio We've got an indoor space and could you just pull your office hours? They're present but then open it up for students to come and maybe invite a parent or two Maybe some of your youth leaders to just be present during the day if they're not working and Robert it was like It was like a gold mine.
I mean the first week we had over 20 students what come just to do homework Wow They were on zoom calls. They were using our church Wi-Fi right we bumped it a little bit there in the community room Um, we provided basic snacks went to Costco. We spent probably 50 bucks on chips drinks snacks gave them all the way for free had coffee for the older kids and It was a It was perfect. It was like when you dream of something and then it actually executes You're like, I knew this was gonna be a thing.
What and so for the last couple of weeks every Wednesday We run a study hall where students can come and it's been crazy parents drop their kids off They're so appreciative because their kids are connected to other students in the same high school Their students are mentally in a better place because they're seeing other students not isolated There's a community aspect that's built in and they're getting connection points with our student ministry pastor And here's the best Residual outcome of that is the kids that end up coming to study hall to do homework They're an easy addition to our weekend service when it comes to volunteering So I've seen kids on Wednesday come on the weekend to be a part of our parking team To be a part of our setup team to be a part of our tear down team Because they're just in relationship with Nick and then Nick invites them to come and partake in the things that he's doing on the weekends That's awesome So here's my encouragement to you if you haven't thought about this or if this is something that you've seen or heard I want to affirm that it is not hard, right? We we put masks out there for the kids if their parents are concerned that they might be in proximity to other students We basically put two people to a six foot table on each end, right? So that's almost six feet distance between them, right? Let's call it five feet But you put a few students on the ends of each table You give them all the freedom to be as far apart or as close as they want if they're going to be within six feet of each other wear a mask We provide the snacks.
We have a few student leaders that are there We have a few parents that are there willing to help tutor Wow Nick's there to just be the pastoral presence and it's been one of the Best unplanned we did not plan this in 2019 But as we saw the need we were fast-fluid and flexible we talked about how great ministries are quick to pivot If it didn't work we were willing to scrap it and call it But we put it on the table and it has been this great way unexpected way to serve the younger generation in our church and the parents in our church in a way that Absolutely is needed in this season And probably other parents went there in terms of bringing you know one friend says hey Billy I'm going over here. You want to come and the parents like hey. Oh, yeah sure absolutely Yeah, there's parents who don't even go to our church whose kids are coming to our study hall They're being exposed to the church Yeah, they're just they're having a great experience where the church is actually meeting a real need. Wow.
Yeah, I'm super proud Even if this idea failed, let's say we we we thought about it. We planned it We we put it on the table. We executed and nobody showed up I would be proud that we went through the process of thinking through it and strategizing it and putting on the table Even if it was a miss here's a deal you get good at the pathway to launching something And eventually when the thing that actually works hits you will be so ready You'll be so prepared We got lucky on this one because we saw a need and it was like let's strike while the iron is hot and it's been a great way It's been a great feeder a great funnel into our student ministry that happens every weekend These kids come on Wednesday. They do their homework parents drop them off.
They got a little bit of freedom. They're on our church property Is it one of the least reached generations currently or the least on church? Absolutely. Yeah, it's it's statistically This generation has the most information at their fingertips So they're the most skeptical they're the least willing to just buy what it is that you say So physically being in proximity with them is much more powerful than being another thing on social media Totally.
Well, I mean Think about in the marketplace, right? Like if you can get face-to-face with a client how much more potential is there that they would actually follow through? It's more valuable, right? Same thing in ministry If you can get face-to-face with somebody and we all know how challenging that is in this season There are safe ways there are strategic ways and there are ways that you can do it that will actually not be a programmatic benefit to you Right next not preaching a sermon.
We don't have worship teams Yeah, right playing a set before not praying before studying actual real need Just hitting a basic need, right? There are parents who are concerned that their kids are at home for extended amounts of time Yeah, there's a lot of things more dangerous than covid. Yeah Isolation is one of them. So here's what I here's what I want to encourage you as we wrap up part one of this conversation Study buddies, right?
Could there be a way that your church deploys a version of study hall for junior high senior high and even college age students Right is there a person who's already connected to that demographic of people? Maybe I've got an all-star student who could easily become the advocate to you know half a dozen students to come try out A space and you order four or five pizzas and you you know you fire up all the bells and whistles So that those students believe that you're actually doing this for them How great would that be that was the narrative of your church? You could probably extend the college good. Yeah, well, that's what we've done So we started with high school.
It was easy because you know we knew when high school was getting out We know that they're able to be kind of like stealth self-guided Then we went to junior high We invited a couple of parents to come to the table and actually be present and parents they left and moms were all about it Um, and it was cool We had some of our student leaders there and they were there they're kind of cool because we set up two ping pong tables So if they want to take a break play ping pong just basic stuff and then we opened it up to college And then all of a sudden bang we've already got relationships with inner varsity at our church. They have offices at our church We already have relationships with the Fellowship of Christian athletes at our church. They have offices at our church is this perfect overlap speaking ping pong tables I want to rematch Tomorrow, oh Robert and I we played ping pong at our first men's event back at the church and Robert You donated a little bit of money the the fountain fund I did I took out all my anger on the next guy and I beat him It was fun though. It was really fun.
Yeah, man I um, I'm thankful we're coming back. I'm thankful that we get to see one another and here's the deal Your kids are more anxious to see their friends So could you create a space at your church outside of your traditional youth programming on Wednesday night or Sunday morning? Where you could just meet a need in a very real way. That's my encouragement to you.
So that's steady buddies the cost is low the The entrance to Robert. I mean come on. I tell Robert I tell Nick make time to be there do all your office work that you're gonna be doing your prep for the week and just do it in that room Right? So instead of being in your office being the community room and then go buy 50 bucks worth of snacks That's in his budget.
I'm well I'm happy to pay for that and it's a space that kids can rely on on a regular basis to have a place to belong You know, so that's my encouragement to you. That's portion one study buddies. Number two Shared spaces shared spaces is a little it's a little more of a heavy topic So you're either a lead pastor you're an executive pastor Or you're close to your lead pastor and you can introduce this idea. So uh, torrey pines had at one time when it was very unhealthy It had by obligation been renting its face out to several churches in order to basically cover the mortgage Right, it wasn't a matter of like generosity.
It was a matter of necessity And this is a strategy they use they they rented the facility the several churches in order to basically cover the monthly nut for the church Um, and over the last two years we've not needed other ministries to basically sustain ourselves Thanks to the network of churches that model of East Lake church network and also the generosity of the people that attend torrey pines church, right? Our recent growth But here's what happened in the last five months Some of our closest friends that were in our I would say five mile radius of our of our own church Who meet in a set up and tear down regular rotation at local schools have not been able to come back to meet Even if they've wanted to the best they've been able to do is basically illegally go to a park and meet in a large quantity of people without permits Um, which is kind of a like a like a neighborhood hazard, right? Because you need a permit in order to gather We used to do this like grocery outlet other places Or they've been meeting in their home and they've done they've been doing such a great job meeting in their home But every person's home has a capacity, right? So if like let's say you have a church of a hundred people And you've been meeting in your home even from multiple quote unquote service times during the day in your home The best you're going to get is maybe 30 40 percent of your once-was congregation One of the coolest things and also one of the most self Examining things that i've done recently is share our space with another church and here's what what makes itself examining is Absolutely total confession in my mind.
I'm wondering are people from our church going to see their church and actually like their church better, right? Blatant confession, uh, but also super petty on the first to call it and then number two These are my very good friends And so even if we had people from our church that that actually loved what their church did I'd be so happy and so thankful that they found a place where they felt like they belonged So this is uh, I won't I won't keep it ambiguous. This is a low-hot church Who meets at Claremont High School in within five miles of our uh, toy pine church They are the same age as us or I should say the same age as me. They've been around for two years I've been at the lead role here at toy pine church for two years And they in conversation just nonchalant conversation with us in you know, we really desire to meet again, but we can't And here I am sitting on this great property tons of open space outdoor space And I'm I'm met with a decision.
Do I say man? I'll pray for you or do I say you can use our space? You can use our lawn use our parking lot use our stuff use our cameras use our audio equipment And with all the liability that's there I still decided to roll the like roll the dice greenlight it And you know they had almost 200 folks coming. This is a great turnout.
This is the same turnout that we have for our church And a little hot church is probably half the size of our church. So when their lawn service comes together and they're the same size as us It's a big deal, right? But man to see that community Reinvigorated to see multi generations come back together and it's not our church It just it was such a good heart check for me to go God is at work way beyond the threshold of our property beyond the bricks of our of our buildings and beyond the Perimeters of our program, right? He's at work deeply simultaneously in another church and because we shared our space I got the joy of seeing another pastor and his wife light up when they saw This abundant overflow of people come and sit on our lawn and hear their services Wow, it was good for my heart, man.
It was really good. You're knocked it out of park He crushed it. It was so good. And you know what's even crazier and here's You talk about unexpected blessings I thought we were gonna be blessing them by giving them a space to meet right Very little taxing on my team to create space for them We do services on Saturday.
They did services on Sunday They invite me he invites me up before he starts a service and he goes Hey, it's churches like this that remind us that we're all one team So is this great? Exempl example it was exemplary of what we say behind closed doors We want to be a unified church for our city but to see it in action to see it in action dude And then he does this crazy thing he gives a donation to our church He is a sizable donation to our church and says you guys have helped us in seasons when we needed help the most Cash donation to our church. Wow one church donating to another church is rare Right when the small church donates to the bigger church There's a lesson to be learned there. God.
I'm telling you their generosity blows my mind Trish and drew tabas or some of the best Pastors I know so they make they make a cash donation to toy pines church And then they go above and beyond and they give Fallon and I a visa gift card to go and have a date night out This church is this church blessed the crap out of us And all we did was give them space And so here's my challenge right? I'm I'm elevating this. I'm making this more Maybe more dramatic than it needs to be because I think there are very few churches that are willing to share their spaces and share their resources In order to see another church get a leg up If you do share Maybe something comes of it, right? You get a deeper relationship.
There's a there's a donation. There's something that is given back to you and likely there won't be That's okay. The question is how are you stewarding what God has given you authority over? And for us 10 acres in a great city I want to steward that to the best of my ability And so for us to give our space away to another church to have their first service back in five months Man, I just sat with like you couldn't knock the smile off my faces I watched another pastor love their community so well Wow, but man what shocked me was their generosity and here's the unexpected blessing that maybe You've been in the season where when you share it's come back to bite you And I just want to tell you don't let Failures of the past or experiences of the past dictate your generosity in the future or your generosity in this moment Because what you experience in the past may not be the narrative today There are so many churches that are up against the ropes There are so many churches that are on their last leg And there are so many churches that are hoping that another church reaches out to give them one last lap And so here's my my ask my prayer my plea is If you've got a church and you've never shared your space Maybe this is the season where you are open to that idea Maybe you prayerfully consider what it looks like to open the doors to a church that cannot come back because they're meeting in a school Or they're meeting in a Public facility that has not been able to open their doors back up to the public Um Or maybe you're that church that has been in a school and maybe you need to start a conversation with a church that you've had a lot of Towards or maybe you've not done the due diligence to start a relationship with and this could be the prime opportunity to say Humbly We're in need We have a congregation.
We have people we just need a place to see their faces This may be the beginning of a great relationship for us in a low hot church It's natural. These are our friends. These are people that we've done a decade worth of ministry with and honestly the The fear in me of like what if people love their service more than ours was quickly diminished when I remembered how good God has been to our church Period, right? But my humanity is still there.
So I'm not gonna say that it wasn't there and honestly Trisha Ju have a freaking cool church service. They do so here's my encouragement to you as we round out these 23 minutes is Who can you collaborate with right what ways can you innovate? Where could you serve a need maybe it's Shared space with another church or another ministry Maybe it's you making a phone call to the local church Maybe that you've not yet met but you know exists and just say hey Is there any way that we could serve you and let that be the beginning of a new relationship that could change your town or could change your city Or could change your community. There are never Too many examples of churches working together in the season, right?
Jesus said it's by your love for one another that people would know that you are my disciples, right? But number two, maybe there's something inside your ministry like a study hall That's a short pivot away from a total breakout that maybe One of your next level leaders like our student ministry pastor or our kids min pastor Just observing what's going on in their own personal life and what could be in their own Ministry expression the perfect solution for families that you've yet to meet so that's my encouragement to you We're experiencing it in this moment at Torrey pines church I'm seeing the fruit of that ministry in our own ministry as a pastor and I just want to encourage you try Something new you have no idea what's on the other side of that effort Robert. Thanks so much for opening up your studio Thanks for sharing the best snacks ever. It was awesome Stories pastors ministry leaders.
I'm for you. I'm with you. I'll see you in the next episode