When I was in college, I was enrolled in a course called Philosophical Foundations for Youth Ministry. In this class, students were required to formulate their philosophy for youth ministry into words. I remember at the top of my list of priorities was “relationships.”…
An article from Jonathan McKee at TheSource4YM.com “Bullying” is the buzz of 2010. Articles, studies, news reports, anti-bullying banners…I can’t go a week without hearing someone talking about it, someone who hasn’t been bullied. Something happens to kids when they are repeatedly mocked and pushed around publicly.…
Everyone can be creative…regardless of how loud they declare, “I’m just not creative.” You can be! Creativity is part of God’s design within us and when we express our God-given creativity it can make our soul come alive. Creativity in youth ministry happens anytime you think about a new way to serve your students.…
If you’re a leader you can’t escape it—you will be criticized. Criticism is aimed at leaders because everyone (including leaders) is imperfect and hurting and hurting people end up hurting others. At the beginning of one’s leadership journey it’s very difficult to try to separate personalized criticism into a truth or untruth category–criticism jumps straight to personal hurt.…
Planning can enhance your ministry and extend your impact. Even if we manage to carve out some think-time, the actual planning portion is STILL TOUGH! It can be difficult to know where to start. What should change? What stays the same?…
Planning can enhance your ministry and extend your impact. Even if we manage to carve out some think-time, the actual planning portion is STILL TOUGH! It can be difficult to know where to start. What should change? What stays the same?…
Two statements that we both talk about a lot are: (1) the world is often a discouraging place, and (2) people are hungry for encouragement. Teenagers are surrounded by discouragement and are desperate for encouragement (just like most of our adult friends—but that’s another topic for later).…
“Oh, excuse me, I didn’t know you were meeting with someone in here.” (Later that day) “I don’t know what happened: She was crying, and the next minute she was sobbing in my arms, with her face buried in my chest!”…
I washed our cars the other day. There’s always a sense of fulfillment when you take the time to really wash the cars down, clean the rims, and triple check there are no streaks on the windows. I even took the time to really dry it off using my brand new Sham-Wow! …
How much of your time and energy is spent on big programs? How much of it is spent on trips and retreats? If you’re like me, then much of your time is spent on those things. And there’s great value in those parts of youth ministry.…
