165: Amy-Jo Giradier "Longevity In Youth Ministry Means Recommitting" #WomenInYM

In episode 165 Zac interviews Amy-Jo Giradier from Brentwood Baptist Church who brings 17+ years of youth ministry experience and a lot of them at the same church and community context. Glean great wisdom today listeners! Amy-Jo has got insight for days on how you can extend your days in youth ministry.   

From Amy-Jo Girardier: "is the Girls Minister at Brentwood Baptist in Brentwood, TN. She has been serving in this role for 17 years and keeps pinching herself that this is what she gets to do for a job! She also is the founding editor of www.girlsminister.com, a website created help those in girls ministry  "love and lead your girls".   She is also the author of two biblestudy and Video teaching series: Authentic Love and Faithful One.    She has authored Becoming from The "just like Christ" series and  Proof:a 6 lesson study on The Book of John.

She has just launched studywithher.com to release free youtube bible studies for moms and daughters or daughters with their friends.  Check it out as it grows

Connect with her on the Facebook Group for the girls ministry, twitter (amyjogirardier) or instagram (amyjogirardier).

Contribute To The Conversation About #WomenInYM

In addition to ministry, Amy-Jo loves using technology, passing on her love of technology to others, drinking coffee, running, serving on staff with her husband Darrel, and hanging out with her sons Scout and Skylar."

Model For Ministering To Young Woman 

Identity Significance Purpose 

• Girl to Girl 
• Girl to God 
• Girl to Go  

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

Hey everybody, welcome to episode 65 of the youth ministry booster podcast as we are rounding the corner, wrapping up our celebration of women in Youth Ministry with an interview today with Amy Joe Gerardi. Yay. Which that's exactly how I was told to say it. It's[inaudible] Ronnie. Yay. And so you'll enjoy that with amy jo today. Apologies a little bit. We had a little bit of audio snafu. So there's some stuff that kind of gets cut in and out. We tried to clean it up best we could so he will enjoy it because the content is rich. The content is very rich. And so for someone who has served in a setting for 17 years now, you've been here for 17 years in the same church for 17 years. Uh, what amy Jo has brought to Brentwood and what she brings now to you is an excellent insight and what longevity in youth ministry can look like and how it can feel to be there for not just us season, but multiple seasons growing and continuing to learn and develop because it only happens when you're rooted. Amy Jo, super thankful. I know that our audience is going to be loving this interview today. Couple of reminders. We are wrapping up this month of women and youth ministry because next month we're taking a whole month to focus on honesty and work ethic and youth ministry and have some special surprises for you as we drop new episodes next week in November for all of those things, so if you haven't had a chance, binge listen to all the amazing interviews of our women and youth ministry. We've got this and a couple more as we round and finish up our month of women and youth ministry. It's been great. I hope that you've been challenged and learn. You can go to boost your.com and pick up all the rest of the interviews and more insights about the things going on, but until the end here is our interview with amy, Joe Gerardi. Yay For our women and Youth Ministry celebration.

Speaker 2: 2:04

Hey everybody. Welcome back to another installment in our women and Youth Ministry interview series and today we have a special guest because her name is wonderful and full of encouragement. If he hasn't been just me. Introducing her or bring joy to the room. So I like to welcome amy. Joe Gerard. Yes. Gerard. And so is it is a French origin. It's got to be French, right? Like, it's got be either we'll stick with French because it sounds like that, but it's kind of like the most southern name possible because it's like the French with the amy Jo and amy Jo's here with us today all the way from Brentwood, Tennessee where she has served for many years. And so, amy, I would love to hear from you, um, for all of our listeners, kind of what got you into youth ministry because what you just told them, the pre show is that you've not just been in youth ministry for Awhile. You've been in the same church for 17 years and I am just in awe and admiration of that because that means you've not only outserve many a youth minister in Totem, which you've also served in one church longer than most. We'll ever, sir.

Speaker 3: 3:30

What I thought it was going to look like, I, maybe I should have launched into it with that. But, uh, when I, when I first started, I came to Brentwood, I was serving in a role in the, um, in Nashville as an, as an event coordinator for a girl's ministry that was supposed to be for about two years. And so I had been in seminary, my husband and I were in Dallas, fort worth and we got this opportunity, both of us can move and be kind of intern. Uh, one was at lifeway and then I got the event coordinator position. So we're really only supposed to be here for two years and

Speaker 2: 4:15

says the woman who's now been here for 17,

Speaker 3: 4:20

we fell in love with Nashville, but more than anything after my obligation ended as an event coordinator, Brentwood Baptist reached out to me. We had some friends that we work, some summer camp and one of the, my husband and I both met doing summer camp I was doing for girls only and he was doing for guys only.

Speaker 2: 4:48

Got It.

Speaker 3: 4:49

Yeah. So, um, after, you know, the summer we met, we actually got engaged and got married and had been married for um, for 18 years. And so we're both in ministry, he actually served on staff with me here now. He served at Lifeway for 10 years and uh, and the church here said, hey, we're looking to start this girl's ministry position, brand new. And so both of us didn't know what we were getting into. And I just remember my first day on the job was a fall retreat. So, um, and you know, I walked in and I met the guys that were, we had, we had a brand new middle school minister at the time, the student minister had been the middle school minister and they had been promoted. And I'm basically, when I signed the dotted line, they said, look, there's been so much turnover here that we want you to commit to being here for three to five years, which sounded like a lifetime, no way. And so I did and clearly met that commitment. But, um, but that first and the dog, I just remember going, I was overwhelmed just with everything that was there. And so many women kept coming up to me going, pointing out all the broken girl. That was the first day on the job, they just said, that girl over there, she needs your help, that, you know, an eating disorder. And that girl over there, she's promiscuous and that girl over there and they just labeled all these girls and I just thought I'm the wrong person. But thankfully after that retreat I drove home and I met with my very first girls' minister, which is my mom. And um, and just we prayed and she showed me my eighth grade journal. She goes, I have this, I wasn't a big journaler but I did eighth grade. And so we looked back through and just look for some breads and reacquainted myself with me as a teenager and just looked at what were my needs. Um, and how was my mom at work and my life. And out of that and a year of this meeting with our leaders and our girls, I'm just really. The Lord just Kinda kept bringing up three distinct things for what we were supposed to do with girls at Brentwood baptist. And so that was, um, you know, we need to, girls of all ages to connect with each other, we need a girl to connect obviously in Bible study and go deeper with God and we needed a girl to understand their mission and the purpose. And so out of that, um, it just, we just started looking at, with our identities, significance and purpose. And so that really over the last 17 years that shifted a little bit, but we always look at identity significance and purpose and how we're connecting girl girl, girl, Girl. So, um, yeah, so that's been. Yeah,

Speaker 2: 7:51

they don't ever get a serving 17 years, 17 years at the same place. Is there like one particular like moment that defining or significant or when things get really difficult, you always think back and think that one, this happened. So therefore I will continue.

Speaker 3: 8:11

Yeah. Well my husband and I jokingly, obviously I don't think that happens with the Lord, but we, we hold loosely onto our calling here, meaning every December I kind of re up with God are you calling me to react to serving here? And we try to use December to kind of look back through what God has done and look at the health of our marriage or a family. Um, the ministry and the, that's been kind of a rhythm that we've put in place the church here. So they're really good job of saying every five years they give you about five to seven weeks to go on sabbatical. And um, and so those rhythms I think started coming out of sabbatical, not just every five to seven or not five years. Do I want to get into this rhythm of, of Sane in my calls. But every year I want to have a time to do that as well. And every month we're supposed to take a sabbatical as well. So we take one. Um, you know, one day were, were, were on sabbatical and we're just kind of, I'm being doing, this is where I'm hurting. I'm, this is where I feel joy and uh, and this is where I see you bringing dreams within me. But like one, I think eight was my very first medical and dreamed up his sabbatical where it was illegal to be a Christian. I just wanted to go way far away from and ended up in Vietnam and uh, in an area where we had to take an eight hour train ride and um, Christian there were trying to get them to the local church and this eight hour train ride I remember I had, I felt, I felt like I wasn't getting to do what they called me to do and the Lord just kind of for me and her and said, no, these are all excuses. I've called these tests but you're using it. And that was when I want a blog to help other girls ministers. I started girlfriend Mr. Com in 2008 and uh, started writing and just, uh, the Lord is began a new work when active said, okay, I'll do whatever you want to do. I'm going to stop using. And um, and then in 2016 I had another moment where I felt like it was going to quit. It wasn't connecting with students. And um, and that was when I realized that it wasn't millennial students, I was ministering to you, but it was gen students and so I think 2008 and then 2016, there's a both ends, pivotal pivotal moment for me of um, of God's just kind of renewing my call and I'm in just reminding me who I, who I am in him. And Yeah,

Speaker 2: 11:26

important to hear you say that those are almost kind of life cycles for student ministries too. I think that's one of the things for folks that have had the benefit of serving in a place longer than the life cycle of that first class of students is you do have to kind of make that decision. Am I going to throw myself back into, even though even though certain students you know, are there, students are always going to come through and always kind of graduating out there. Something about that kind of anchor group when you first arrived that are like in the youngish sixth grade, seventh grade or eighth or ninth grade. If you're a high school minister where you're with them for a few years and almost sudden you have to like make the corner again, like you have to turn the corner again. That actually crank of the wheel feels like, I don't know. I always say that as someone who's coming on his fifth year in a place and it's like, okay, let's do this again. Let's go around again. And there's always been. Students have always been amazing students coming through, but I think in your own bones you feel that graduation cycle of like, you know, am I ready to graduate? And then again in the corner. And so I would love to maybe talk a little bit more about it. A lot of folks are talking Gen z for stuff and if someone that has served in youth ministry for a number of years and then a number of years at the same place. What about in 2016 into 2017 into now, do you feel like are some things that maybe had you, not, not questioning but like kind of wondering or asking like what were some of the things that like came to you that kind of maybe prompted some of those thoughts and then also what are some of the things that like kind of kept you anchored to the place you were served?

Speaker 3: 13:00

Can I do a retreat for our girls called snowball

Speaker 2: 13:05

in the winter? Is there a dance at the end? Do you function? Is there a snowball function at the end?

Speaker 3: 13:24

You know, a dance party with um, so I would doing the event no ball look different every year because we have leaders of student that help explain it but that's the same way and just kind of hey here's, here's what I'm thinking theme wise and then kind of release them to plan that out and help me do that. And I remember I'm going to go get them hot chocolate. Awesome. And when I came back, they were at my whiteboard, the about 20 girl and they were racing all my plants and I want, I just, I couldn't handle it. And this one girl I looked at her, are we? She goes, well, no offense, but we're going in a different direction.

Speaker 2: 14:20

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 14:21

I thought one I ever had, and these are not at all, but leadership, they were not listening to my leadership and I wouldn't give in if it was exhausting. And I went home and I remember driving home, crying, going, I'm too old for this. And they quit, you know, whining that I was doing in my heart is there's not all these funds that I am here to your question, question pop in my heart of this. And I was not even caring at dinner with, but I thought that's an interesting question. And so I started talking with the Lord about it. When I went to go take in, I thought, oh my gosh, this is not who I thought they work. And when I started hanging out more and more about them, it made sense why they were responding to me. They were, and when I looked at the industry, the things that we're working and the thing that it made sense. And so for example, um, one of the things that we to talk to leaders about is, um, if you think of your iphone, an iphone can look the same across the board, so a lot of different people, but when you look at a person will have their settings and preferences are different. The settings and preferences do. So then I went to that next meeting. I just said, here are the things that are not able to be changed but here to settings and preferences, you can make your own and this is going to rise and fall with you. And then I had just had to, you know, release them to I had to be okay with you guys are going to be in charge of the teacher, here's the cost, here's the whatever. But mine will bet. And they did. And in some of the most amazing things were happening when I knew how to release them within Gardendale to lead. So that was really exciting. The understanding more about disease or one of their biggest, um, biases is there pride, so there's so frightful and think that they can do anything, um, they don't know how to work that leaders, so a lot of leaders are feeling that same class, but it's figuring out how do I, I fall a little bit differently, not losing the gospel at all, but how do I come alongside of them and freed the guard rails and give them the tools as fast as I can and run alongside of them. Um, and so I just started realizing that I think God has hardwired this iteration with such a entrepreneurial spirit. I started like, if they understand that the lord of their life, then they have a passion and get the word out that I would be ridiculous. I tried to slow them down. So then I started getting really passionate about what that could do with these students. So I think that was the turning point for sure.

Speaker 2: 17:49

Okay. Well, that leads to my next question then because I think the only in the wisdom of serving for awhile, somewhere for awhile, um, can we, can we even begin to kind of get some discernment for this? So Amy, uh, I just developed a time machine to take you back to the very first year of youth ministry and maybe even first year of ministry on staff at Brentwood. What is the advice or wisdom that you would give to first year, amy Jo, that only amy jo now could get through to her? Like Amy Jo, first years reading a lot of books. She knows better. She figured it out. She's going to do it, but you've come back from the future to tell her this is the most important thing. She's got to know.

Speaker 3: 18:33

Yeah, a prayer team around to you quickly. You need to have a team of people around you that you tried, that you can go to, that will ask you questions about your soul that will support you as you're leading. Um, and we'll be able to pray for us that much late in the year. I think I looking for volunteers, I'm looking for people that then yes, instead of looking for people that were godly and healthy and uh, and so I later on probably in 2009 is when I started doing something called they called it Pma j, which was my, you know, I heard about like Icic lane groups and like you will be my teammates to a hospital visit or if I have to have conversations or I'm absent planning, will you pray for me in the season and really pray for me. Um, and so I think I can point back to and those pivotal moments of having that group around me to say, am I still supposed to be here by the nod, you know, calling me, is he releasing me from this and a. or they would say, you know, challenging me and saying, when are you giving God the first and last word of your day? But that came out of on team a dive. I think just make me prayer foundational with a group of people that are, um, special and called to come alongside of me

Speaker 2: 20:39

in particular for Girls Ministry. What are the best places for them to get ahold of you?

Speaker 3: 20:46

So I have a called girls Mr. Com and I'm and trying to blog on narrow throughout the time. Uh, it's getting less and less regular, regular, but it's been, I think there's a lot of comm ave email me from there. And then also we have a girls group on facebook with his hearing fit. A weft is on there and she posted her podcast. That was where I found that out about you, but we have about um, 300 girls ministry volunteers and leaders on there. So I can give you the address for that, but it's the girl on facebook. Super.

Speaker 1: 21:31

Well, thank you so much for sharing today and we look forward to talking with you more.

Speaker 3: 21:37

Great.

Speaker 1: 21:39

Alright, there you go. That's our interview with amy. Joe Gerardi. Yay. Amy Jo. Thank you so much for sharing and I hope that you found some wisdom and insight from the longevity and purposefulness of her interview. And her answer is uh, amy Jo. Good word. Thank you so much for sharing and blessing us today with that. As all of us are committed to re upping and the ways in which we serve and our called to youth ministry, so that's you friend. If you're serving today and you've heard this message, will you commit? Will you recommit and will you recommit? Again, longevity and youth ministry is the fruit of youth ministry and seeing that happen and grow in our students is an amazing thing. Thanks again for listening. Make sure to subscribe, rate, and review. We don't want you to miss any of the episodes that are coming out in the next few weeks as we wrap up this big, fun women and Youth Ministry celebration. All right. See you soon.