Summer Is a Liar
In a ministry context, summer is a serial liar. I mean, summer is NOT a slower time for youth ministry, and it’s NOT chock-full of margin. We won’t have a more relaxed schedule, and we won’t have time to catch our breath.…
Leadership
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 counselor who must deal with upset parents and discouraged adolescents, and an EMT who has to treat the occasional dodgeball injury. Often, all in the same day. As you walk through the ups and downs of your calling, we’re here to support, encourage, and equip you with ideas that will fuel your journey as a Jesus-centered leader.
What You’ll Find
Our leadership topics are designed to give you the knowledge and skills to confidently guide your ministry. We’ll cover the must-know areas—including working with parents and volunteers, planning and productivity, and the broad range of skills you need as an adolescent specialist in ministry. And, most important, we’ll help you grow your own relationship with Jesus so your leadership flows out of a “deeper well.”
About Leadership
What Does Your “Ministry-Image” Look Like?
I once did a lesson series with our students entitled “LOVE YOU: Learning to Love Who God Made You to Be.” Our study focused in on what a Christ-centered self-image looks like, and how the way we see ourselves affects our relationship to God and others. …
Serving Graduates for the Long Haul
Eventually, you’re going to see how it all plays out. Right now, they’re teenagers. Tomorrow they’ll be in in college or starting a job… then growing into their early twenties, and so on. You’ll watch from afar as all of the time you’ve poured into helping them know Jesus personally either gets scrapped or gets owned.…
Good Kids are NOT Perfect Kids
The proverbial “good kid” can come in many shapes and forms. They might be the ones that always show up early to actually help set up, or sit in the front row so they can pay attention and take better notes, or we ask to be on the student leadership team, or are the first to sign up for the missions trip, show up to every fundraiser and actually pay on time.…
4 Learnings From Listening To My Student Leaders
I had the privilege of taking a few of my student leaders to a workshop where they were a part of a Q & A panel. There were youth workers there asking questions about their experience in youth ministry. Now, they had a few of the questions beforehand, but I didn’t prep them nor did I shape their answers.…
Don’t Freak Out – Try a N.A.P.
Confession time… I once auditioned for a national commercial. The tagline of the product? “Never let them see you sweat.” These commercials were famous. The spokesperson would offer an additional summary at the end of the ad, such as “Everyone feels pressure.…
Why My Teen Hates Your Small Group
For as long as I can remember I have been the poster child for relationally driven ministry. Perhaps it’s because I came out of the roller skating party era of youth group where it was more about programs than going deep.…
Four Questions Every Youth Ministry Should Ask
Every Tuesday I eat lunch with our Children’s Ministry Pastor. I do it for three reasons…He’s a good friend, an extremely strategic thinker and every youth pastor needs to be in cahoots with the Children’s Pastor. Last week, while I chewed on a bun-less chili burger (Yes, chili burgers are totally healthy if you exclude the bun), Steve shared four key questions he asks about his ministry on a regular basis.…
4 Practical Ways to Honor Your Lead Pastor
Maintaining healthy relationships is a priority in all areas of life, but our ministry world requires special attention. Ultimately, we spend about a third of our lives working, which means we spend a third of our days with co-workers. That’s a significant amount of time, so we want the atmosphere to be positive and productive for everyone.…
Highly Influential People Share These 3 Traits
In a counseling class I took in college, students were placed into groups to work on a project. I don’t remember the topic we tackled, but I sure remember the people. They were awful! I can laugh about it now, but that experience was tough.…
