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.
I’ve been leading and influencing young people for a long time, both in a church setting and also as a public-school coach. And threaded through the thousands of conversations I’ve had with students is one overriding need—to belong to something bigger than themselves.…
Last night we introduced our 15-year-old daughter Lucy to Best In Show, the third of four films created by an improvisational acting company led by Christopher Guest. The first of the four, This Is Spinal Tap, is a wildly popular mock-documentary about an “iconic” hard-rock band that reunites for a one-time blowout performance.…
How far is too far? In 21 years of student ministry, I have heard this question on countless occasions about a variety of subjects. In the past, my answer has usually been “If you have to ask that question, you are probably already in the danger zone.”…
A lot of times when we think of student leaders, we think of the students who are the elite of our ministry. And that is completely false. Student leaders are just students who are committed to serving a cause greater than themselves.…
Adolescence is a time of significant physical and psychosocial development. As youth develop, they are typically informed by and supported by their peers. Experimentation, exploration, and risk characterize adolescence, and many engage in high-risk behaviors during this time. Beyond the impulsive, risk-taking nature of adolescents their budding identity is being shaped as well. …
Are small groups part of your student ministry? Are they working? The traditional small group model may be the last sacred cow of today’s church. Statistically, we know that young people are now the largest, most irreligious generation ever on the rise.…
We’ve all had those oppositional students from time to time. Maybe they suffered from R.A.D. (reactive attachment disorder) or some extreme form of A.D.H. D. or just simply suffered from a serious conduct disorder. Regardless, we can find ourselves in a “battle of the wills” with these students and often in the middle of small group. …
Being a teenager can be stressful. Studies show that more students struggle with depression and anxiety now than ever before. It is important to remind ourselves of this reality as we work to build a youth ministry that is safe for students.…
I recently finished reading a small yet powerful book titled, A Mind for God by James Emery White. As I thought through the personal implication of this book on my own spiritual life I couldn’t help but think about the following regarding youth growing up in today’s culture.…
This article by Rick Lawrence is taken from the upcoming July/August issue of Group Magazine. In our home, for the last six months, my wife and I have been leading a small group of senior highers in a Sunday afternoon pursuit of Jesus.…
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