If you are like most youth ministers, you hate meetings. And therefore, as often as possible, you avoid them like the plague. For years, when it came time to ridicule “meetings,” I was the first in line. But then I stumbled upon a fascinating study that turned my attitude about meetings upside down.…
I am egocentric. I am selfish. I am driven by personal goals. I am wanting to see the change in student’s lives. I am unaware that anyone can do the same job as me. I am a youth minister. Sound like a bad commercial for youth ministry?…
A few years ago, another church in my town brought in a new youth pastor. From the moment he arrived, he was committed to drawing other youth pastors and leaders in the community together. After about two years of meeting together regularly for fellowship, prayer, and occasional training, all of us felt like there was something new going on.…
Ever get frustrated with your senior pastor? Okay, if you don’t want to agree verbally, you can shout “yes” in your head. People can be frustrating—it’s a fact of life, and ministry is no different. The difficulty of working in ministry can force some youth workers to feel like they are on an island, especially when it comes to communicating and dealing with their senior pastors.…
Diane, after six months in her youth ministry role, asked, “What can I do when my vision for youth ministry is so different from my church’s vision?” I gave her three choices: Change your vision Change your church Change your church Option 1: Change Your Vision.…
Three mistakes some retail stores make: They clean the floors while the store is still busy. They place new merchandise pallets in the aisles, making it hard to get around. They do not have enough registers open. I experienced all three of these mistakes one night while shopping with my family, which made it harder for me to buy what I wanted.…
One of the most daunting tasks for anyone involved behind the scenes is being motivated while receiving little or no appreciation. Every week you are the first to arrive and the last to leave. You serve diligently with humility; you serve God’s Kingdom, not your own.…
For years, I have heard it repeated (usually in Christian circles) the importance of having a stay at home parent (usually mom) for kids to grow up healthy. While I still believe that a stay at home parent can have a huge impact on kids, as I got into ministry, I made some surprising discoveries that confronted my assumptions about families with a stay at home parents.…
I am discontent. Not because the Steelers lost on Sunday (to the Eagles, of all teams), or because the business of the church isn’t running smoothly. I am discontent because I am comfortable. Being good and quiet are two of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in the last few months.…
Last week, I had one of those “epiphany moments” on my way to my weekly Bible study with my guys in the Monroe County Jail. I was driving, thinking, and praying on my way, when one of my favorite songs from Audio Adrenaline came on the car stereo.…
