A few years ago, our goal was to have at least one of our adult staff or volunteers at every one of our graduates’ parties. As our number of high school seniors grew, this task became more and more challenging … and exhausting.…
We love summer! No more alarm clocks, bonfires, and planned spontaneity! And if you’re a youth worker, we’re guessing you probably love it too. Our summer youth calendar is jam-packed with cool stuff like camp, mission trips, and summer activities all designed to help our students grow in their trust in Jesus.…
I had an interesting conversation not too long ago with a fellow youth worker who was feeling overwhelmed. Our conversation kind of centered around this statement, “The world is getting crazier and crazier, and it almost seems like what we’re doing isn’t working.”…
Serving in youth ministry is both rewarding and challenging. As a leader, you’re a catalyst for helping teenagers grow as disciples of Jesus, a ...
In the often-chaotic cloud that is everyday youth ministry, one goal always rises to the surface—growing disciples who follow Jesus with an all-...
Fortnite, 13 Reasons Why, Snapchat… The shifting currents of culture all play a role in shaping the teenagers you serve, and give you unique opp...
We love summer! No more alarm clocks, bonfires, and planned spontaneity! And if you’re a youth worker, we’re guessing you probably love it too. Our summer youth calendar is jam-packed with cool stuff like camp, mission trips, and summer activities all designed to help our students grow in their trust in Jesus.…
A few years ago, our goal was to have at least one of our adult staff or volunteers at every one of our graduates’ parties. As our number of high school seniors grew, this task became more and more challenging … and exhausting.…
Our number one mission in youth ministry is to share the love of Jesus with our students. We can talk about the love of Jesus or we can demonstrate the love of Jesus. We can tell them they are loved but unless we demonstrate love to them our words really are just words.…
It’s the kind of telephone call no youth leader ever wants to receive. One of our teenagers just attempted suicide—twice in one hour. So where am I in the midst of this trauma? Right by the young man’s side in the hospital, giving the kind of encouragement and hope every youth leader would want to give?…
#ScreenFreeWeek There was one time I was sitting at a coffee shop enjoying a café Americano with one of my favorite friends. We were catching up, being stupid, making each other laugh, and absolutely we were people watching, when all of the sudden she hit me over the head with this doozy: “My school is doing screen-free week,” she said with ease.…
These youth group activities provide ideas for service during the Thanksgiving season and a fun way for your group to gather the food for a Thanksgiving meal. In Matthew 10:8 Jesus said, “Freely you have received; freely give.” Our lives may not always be everything we hope them to be, but the vast majority of Americans are richly blessed.…
Recently I was in a meeting of the youth ministry minds where this question was asked: “How often does your group, your youth or your church think of missions?” The answers ranged from weekly to monthly to an honest, “never.” It was a great question that I felt was poised around “opportunities” to “go and serve” both locally and abroad.…
How can you help teens fall in love when they’ve known about God their whole life? Here’s one leader’s experience! I was born on the front pew of a church during a Sunday night worship service. Before I could say momma, I said Jesus.…
An old wedding tradition has been mostly forgotten. Brides used to incorporate the following items into their wedding day: something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Believe it or not, this can be a fun way to help you plan the first few months of the new ministry year!…
