After co-hosting my church’s online service last weekend, I logged onto the service-stream of a friend’s church in another state. “Carl” (not his real name) was focusing on the “Hurry Sickness” that afflicts our culture (well before COVID-19 descended on us).…
Jesus is an artist, and he’s used the ugly raw material of the COVID-19 pandemic and re-fashioned it in ways we couldn’t conceive… We’ve all been dragged into a forced re-set—we’ve had to rely on Jesus, not our own ministry swagger or momentum, to feel our way forward.…
Today someone from my daughter’s school came out to our house and planted a sign in our yard celebrating her as a 2020 graduate. She’s just finished her senior year of high school, and after a lot of hard work she’ll graduate as valedictorian of her class.…
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...
Today someone from my daughter’s school came out to our house and planted a sign in our yard celebrating her as a 2020 graduate. She’s just finished her senior year of high school, and after a lot of hard work she’ll graduate as valedictorian of her class.…
In his day, Jesus used one of the most powerful communication tools known to man—it’s called “the parable.” He was a master storyteller. And so, we read in Matthew 13, when he has gathered a large crowd, he leverages the moment by telling five parables in a row.…
We have a core mission in youth ministry that, it seems, is also ridiculously easy to forget. As we try to keep numbers up, live up to the vision of the church, and keep up with the demands of ministry life, what can we do to keep Jesus at the center of it all?…
Put 20 youth pastors in a room and tell them they can’t come out until the agree on a definition of discipleship and it’s possible their friends and families will never see them again! And IF they can agree, the odds of them implementing that definition in their youth ministries are about the same odds as me slam-dunking on a 10-foot rim (zero, in case you’re wondering).…
Jesus is an artist, and he’s used the ugly raw material of the COVID-19 pandemic and re-fashioned it in ways we couldn’t conceive… We’ve all been dragged into a forced re-set—we’ve had to rely on Jesus, not our own ministry swagger or momentum, to feel our way forward.…
I was born on the front pew of a church during a Sunday night worship service. Before I could say momma, I said Jesus. Enough exaggerating. I wasn’t born on a pew, but I was born a preacher’s daughter. Going to church was more important than anything else in our world.…
A mission trip is like the Olympic steeplechase—you’re running as fast as you can over, around, and through every imaginable obstacle to get to the finish line. Maybe it’s the girl who shows up with a piece of luggage the size of a small horse casket, or the guy who forgot to study the packing list and brought clothes that won’t work well in your context.…
Each summer for the last three years, our youth ministry has served our city through a weeklong local mission trip called “I HEART LINCOLN” (or I❤LNK). Our teenagers pay a $100 fee and are placed on a team with two leaders—each team is assigned a pre-arranged service project organized by a local organization in our city.…
One age group is hit particularly hard with the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s teenagers. Join Thom and youth ministry expert and author Rick Lawrence as they discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on youth ministers and teenagers around the country. Then discover key steps youth ministries can take to stay keep their teenagers engaged during these challenging times.…
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