It’s often helpful to think about youth ministry in three parts: teenagers, volunteers, and parents. For most youth leaders, ministering to parents is the most difficult of the three. As the two of us have grown older, we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that parents don’t need certain things from us.…
Amanda is one of our new middle school leaders. She’s a sophomore with a heart for ministry and a love for middle school girls. Last Wednesday I saw her chatting with two girls who were not in her small group, but wanted to be.…
As a youth worker, you know it’s important to communicate well with parents. You may have learned that lesson via the School of Hard Knocks, maybe from a frustrated parent, or from 14 billion phone calls regarding something you should’ve conveyed with a quick text or email.…
Once again, I’m hanging out—rather begrudgingly—in God’s waiting room. Ever been there? It’s the place where answers to prayer seem suspended in the heavens. Where something you thought would take 10 days is still incomplete after 10 years. Where you wonder if hopes you’d labeled as God-given dreams are actually spiritual fantasies caused by too much late-night pizza.…
You know the temptation. It goes something like this: Plan for your program. High-five some kids as they come in. Say something profound in your message or class time. Talk up the next big event. Run the next event. Over-hype everything you did so your church is glad they hired you.…
