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-in commitment. You’re after life-changing, inside-out transformation—driven by a passion for Jesus that spills out onto the lives of others.
What You’ll Find
The Discipleship section offers practical ideas and insights about effective discipleship in youth ministry. We explore the method and models and strategies your ministry can use to help “seed” a generation of teenagers who are all-in for Jesus.
We’ve already plowed through the meat of the new school year. And if your life is anything like mine you’ve catapulted from the bustle of summer into the craziness of fall. My schedule is fuller (how is that possible?), overshadowed only by the packed calendars of my teenagers.…
You know that feeling when your workday is complete? It’s time to relax, hang with friends, or just grab some “me” time. My day was over, and I wanted to go home and unwind. The Spirit had other plans for me… But as I drove home, I felt a burden to go visit Amy, a teenager in our ministry who was living in a crisis-pregnancy care center.…
In my 20+ years of youth ministry, I’ve seen shifts in programming that are often tied to shifts in the wider culture. To stay ahead of the wave, we try to be proactive about rethinking the way we do ministry. When we’re ready to roll out new ideas, we veer away from “launching programs” and, instead, tell our ministry leaders and teenagers that we’re “experimenting” with a new approach. …
We are shorthand people who prefer shorthand solutions to complex problems. That’s true in life, and it’s true in youth ministry. In the past, our shortcut paths to deeper discipleship included… • What Would Jesus Do—”Go beyond your identity as a church-attender and have the courage to live like Jesus.…
Type “teenagers” into Google, then spend 30 minutes browsing the links. I did this the other day and was confronted (over and over) by one overriding reality—Gen Z teenagers are suffering from more depression, anxiety, and stress than ever before. EVER before.…
I’m going to be honest and say I have not mastered what I’m about to share with you. I’m in the middle of this one-sided wrestling match with you. The school year will soon begin. Youth groups across the country will soon be having or are planning kickoff events.…
Low motivation is a classic meme in adolescence. But it’s a stereotype we can shatter if we understand how to ignite kids’ passion. We can’t cajole or bribe them into passion, but we can help them discover it… 1. Finding their passion. …
Every summer I have a unique opportunity to spend time with teenagers. I organize short-term volunteers, mission groups, and interns under 18 to come serve at our inner-city ministry. So I get to hang out with young people from all over America and from a variety of backgrounds, denominations, and family situations.…
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.…
I was relational before relational was cool… Way back in the day, I invited kids in my youth group to run errands with me, signed on to be a substitute teacher to earn street cred with kids at school, and invited the families of my teenagers over for dinner.…
