If you are like most youth workers, you probably find yourself in some sort of teaching environment once or twice a week! Let that settle in for a second; a couple of times a week you are responsible for creating learning environments in which the members of your youth group are exposed to, and wrestle through, some of life’s most crucial topics.…
Three things you’ll never hear me say in the spring: 1) Everyone’s camp balances are paid in full! 2) I spent way too much time with my small group leaders this semester. 3) I wish these 8th graders would hurry up and transition to high school.…
Christmas can bring out the best in us. Unfortunately, it can also bring out the worst in us. (Need convincing…watch a Black Friday video where someone gets trampled so others can save $20 on a TV.) I find I often forget that part of my job is to also help students understand Christmas.…
A few years ago, our goal was to have at least one of our adult staff or volunteers at every one of our graduates’ parties. As our number of high school seniors grew, this task became more and more challenging … and exhausting.…
People love clarity. When youth workers are confident in their direction, clarity truly helps them and their entire leadership team move forward. When we know where we’re heading and can clearly communicate that to people serving in our ministries, everyone can serve more confidently and effectively.…
(EDITOR’s NOTE: This post by Aaron Crumbey was written several years ago, in the wake of a string of brutal police encounters with African-Americans, setting off yet another crisis. What Aaron wrote then is still profound now.) I’ve been thinking about writing this post for weeks.…
Season 2, Episode 011: How to Apply a Filter to the Bible As a youth worker or volunteer, one of the most powerful things you can do for your teenagers is get them excited about reading the Bible. This week, Rick randomly chose a Scripture passage and together with his sidekick Becky (now nicknamed B-Hodge) applied an “Oprah” filter as they unpacked it.…
In this week’s Whiteboard Wednesday experiment, we upend the way we frame our relationship with Jesus—from a serious slog through principles and disciplines to an adventure on the playground. Here’s how you can help your teenagers re-imagine their life as a disciple in the childlike way that Jesus, over and over, urged us to embrace.…
In Sunday school, I remember singing at the top of my lungs, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in a sycamore tree, for the Lord he wanted to see.” Such songs allowed my imagination to take me into Scripture.…
Reaching Kids Experiencing Same Sex Attraction An article from Jonathan McKee at TheSource4YM.com “We are confident in our theology concerning sexuality. We are equally confident that how we’ve traditionally approached sexuality, and ministering to teenagers in all stages of their sexual identity, has been unintentionally hurtful, confusing, and alienating to a whole bunch of teenagers.”…
