There is an ever-growing conversation around the end of youth ministry as we know it. Whether it be the end of paid full-time positions, the end of weekly youth group meetings, or the end of youth ministry altogether. At times these discussions get deeply heated and personal.…
My youth office used to be in a building where only a few of us worked. Then, one day I was relocated to a place closer to other pastors and leaders. I liked being secluded for some reasons. And I like being included for even more reasons.…
Below is excerpt of an email one mom sent to another. Both mom’s are walking the journey of raising a gay child. I thought what my friend shared with this particular mom was info more moms and dads need to read.…
Here we go again! The new school year is just around the corner, and with it comes the cyclical shift from summer to fall programming. No doubt you’re already laying the groundwork for fall meetings and finalizing those calendars to get in parent’s hands.…
My pastor, Rick Warren, always says, “You don’t learn from people’s strengths, you learn from their weaknesses.” If that’s true, then I have a wealth of knowledge! But seriously, I’ve been doing youth ministry for a while now, and throughout my years in ministry, I’ve tried to be intentional about learning from my mistakes.…
Over the past several years, one of the hottest topics in the youth ministry world has been faith abandonment—specifically, when kids “graduate” from youth group. It’s an important conversation to have, for sure. Experts have identified lots of culprits that cause young people to fall away.…
Last week I looked into the eyes of some very apprehensive 11-year-olds. It was their last Sunday in “KidzTown.” Even though we made a big deal about “graduating them” up to youth group, still some pulled me aside and asked if they could have just “one more week” before they aged out of children’s ministry.…
I don’t know about you, but the uncomfortable parts of life bother me. In fact, most times I strive to avoid them. Along with the uncomfortableness comes uncertainty, frustration, questions, doubt, and the temptation to “close our eyes and hope everything gets better soon.”…
Regardless of the size of your group, every healthy youth ministry has a healthy volunteer staff. Many new youth leaders start out with lots of energy and lots of ideas, but not a lot of confidence when it comes to inviting others to help out.…
**Disclaimer: The following has nothing to do with my current employment or my current feelings toward it. This is simply a piece designed to help those who are struggling in their work and ministry contexts as I know there are times we all question why we are doing what we are doing.**…
