Author: Elle Campbell

This week, as we launch into 2013 and get back into the grind at the office, we wanted to chat for a second about getting refocused in the new year – today, we’ll start by chatting about getting refocused in our ministries.

One of the best things Kenny and I have done for our Middle School Ministry has been to establish a rhythm of reevaluating our ministry. Twice a year (usually on the heels of a nice vacation, away from the office), we spend time talking through our vision and goals for our ministry… brainstorming new approaches and ideas… looking at what we do through fresh eyes… and being really honest about the things that need work.

We had one of those “refocusing” sessions a few days ago and we thought it would be fun to give you a little inside look into that conversation…

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Yesterday we gave you a 3-step tutorial on how to create great graphics – using only your iPhone. It seemed like you guys liked it. So, today, we’re going to continue with the iPhone art conversation by introducing you to someone who’s making some pretty cool things with his iPhone. His work has inspired us and we think it’ll inspire you too – and show you the kind of design that’s possible, using just your iPhone.

Meet our friend Sam Woods. Sam’s really cool. He’s one of the student pastors at Oneighty, the Student Ministry of Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK. Sam specializes mostly in Jr. High Ministry. And listen. If you don’t know about the COTM team, you really should. They’re super creative and super generous with their stuff. And that’s a great combo.

Sam’s also got some really impressive iPhone design skills. Actually, his iPhone art creations have made him kind of Instagram-famous. He wouldn’t tell you that. But it’s true.

Here’s a bit of his work…

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So here’s the thing. Hopefully this won’t come as much of a shock… but, in general, churches aren’t exactly known as being hubs of great graphic design. You know what we mean. Comic Sans… Papyrus… those creepy pictures of Jesus as a white guy… animated clipart of doves descending on open Bibles. There’s some weird stuff out there.

But, hey, we get it. Not every church can afford a graphic designer or the latest version of the Adobe Creative Suite. And, even if you do have the right tools, you may not have the time, or the eye, for becoming a world-class graphic designer. And that’s ok. Really.

But if we want to be influential with kids and students, good graphic design really does help.

Here’s the good news though. You don’t necessarily need to spend hundreds of dollars on software (or a ton of hours learning how to use that software) in order to make good design happen. Today, we’re going to show you how you can create some really great graphics using only your iPhone (or iPad) and just $2.98 in apps. Yep. $2.98.

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This week on the blog, we’ve been talking about some simple, practical ideas to better train, equip, and lead our Small Group Leaders.

We’ve already talked about our 11 favorite small group things at our Small Group Leader Supplies Station and how to make a Small Group Leader Library, but today we’re going to wrap up the conversation by introducing you to a book for Small Group Leaders that we’re really excited about.

Like… really excited about.

It’s called Lead Small: Five Big Ideas Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know. It’s written by Reggie Joiner (the brain behind Orange), and Tom Shefchunas (the Middle School Ministry guy at Northpoint).

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This week on the blog, we’re featuring some ideas that we’re hoping will help you better train, equip, and lead your Small Group Leaders. Why? Because we think Small Group Leaders are some of the most important people in the world. For me and Kenny, they’re the people who are doing the majority of the hands-on ministry in the lives of our middle schoolers. And because they’re so important and wonderful and essential to what we do, we want to do everything we possibly can to help our Small Group Leaders be the best people, Jesus-followers, and Small Group Leaders they can possibly be.

Thus… our Small Group Leader Library.

We mentioned this Library idea on Monday, when we gave you a peek at our 11 favorite small group supplies – the 11 things that we always keep on hand for our Small Group Leaders.

The idea for this Small Group Leader Library came about for a pretty simple reason – we wanted to help our team continue learning and growing so that they could be the best Small Group Leaders ever. So we collaborated with our High School Ministry, came up with a list of our favorite books, and decided to make them available to our volunteers – in a library format!

So today, we want to give you a closer look at that Library, as well as some step-by-step instructions so you can make one yourself. Ready? Here we go…

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