3-2-1

As a young youth pastor, I always looked for the newest hook or trend or trick to growing a big youth ministry. After some time I realized that such a secret didn't exist in any of the current books or seminars or conferences but in the fundamental truths of Scripture.

For example, prayer changes things.
I began to ask myself, "how can we increase the priority of prayer in our ministry?"
After a lot of thinking I decided to pray about it and ask God the same question. (Funny huh?)
Here's what He gave us: 3-2-1.

Each night of ministry, we ask our volunteers to do three things;
Learn three new names. (If your group is smaller, three new things about your students)
Have two significant conversations. (Get beyond the small talk. Have an intentional conversation starting question in your pocket at all times.)
Pray with one student. (This is HUGE! It models prayer, communicates the value of both prayer and that student, demonstrates the priority to others and invites the blessing of God into that student's life.)

It's simple. It's doable. It's measurable. It's effective.
When our leaders began to own this mission in our ministry a lot changed. Leaders began to reconnect with those students for follow-up. Students showed up with greater regularity. Attendance increase... a lot! Students lives, homes and eternities began to change. God showed up.