When you work with teens, you no doubt have plenty of opportunity to observe first-hand the volatile guy/girl relationships that are part of teen life. Bad days in the romance realm can be frequent and recurring in the teen world…on any given day someone, somewhere in a teen’s circle of friends is likely going thru some high drama that may end in a relationship breakup.…
For the past 5 years, I have had the honor of being on staff at one of the most innovate churches in America. I had nowhere to go but up as far as success. The church was big before I got there, and from an outside glance, I had it made.…
You see, my emotional battery is on negative. Let me give you my recent energy-suckers: I’ve directed three weekend retreats and one board of directors meeting in the last month. Today, besides the normal workload, I’ve dealt with one suicidal teenager, one guy who’s decided to move toward the gay lifestyle, and one really, really ticked mother.…
Got volunteers? Getting them is one thing . . . but what’s the trick to keeping them? Glad you asked. 1. TIME No- not the magazine- the other thing that we don’t have enough of. Yes, no matter how you slice it, our volunteers take time.…
Many of us have different styles of worship. There are those who raise their hands, wave their hands, dance in the isles, clap, beat their chests, fold their hands to pray, sit in silence, etc…. There are others who make a spectacle out of worship and there are those who are so reverent, they won’t let any excitement seep out of the sides of their mouths.…
If you’re like most people, you just can’t help it. Something about the newness of the New Year makes you want to get a new start and start all over again. And this is how New Year’s resolutions came about.…
Our junior high ministry is getting ready to take a very short break for Christmas. It’s heading into slow seasons that I typically find myself reflecting on our ministry. Today I spent some time thinking about the various people who make up our junior high ministry who have recently brought a smile to my face.…
When you signed on as a youth minister, you placed yourself in the path of crises—both small and daunting. It’s all part of the deal. In fact, most of the best impact you’ll have in youth work will happen during crisis situations.…
Have your group plan and host a harvest party for your church’s children. Make the party’s centerpiece a Halloween devotion. Get a large pumpkin and recruit six group members to help. As your teenagers carve the pumpkin, have them use the following devotion to help remind the children what it means to have Jesus in their hearts: Group Member #1-(Cut out the stem part and pull out the gooey insides.)…
By Jamie Snodgrass Some fear it. Some try to ignore it. Others can’t wait for it. But all teenagers know it’s inevitable. How could they miss those bold black-and-yellow back-to-school sale signs at the mall?Fall is a time for new beginnings with your kids and your ministry.…
