It had been a rough night with our middle school youth. I was talking it through with some of my adult leaders when I had an interesting thought. Often we want kids who already “get it.” They don’t talk back; they do what we ask them to do, etc.…
You wake up exhausted. Was that overnighter a dream? Where did your black eye come from? Why is your arm in a cast? Why are there 13 missed calls from various parents? What speeding ticket? If you’re like us, after a big event or activity the last thing you want to do is re-live all the details.…
Most youth workers like events. We may have mixed emotions about their overall effectiveness, but they aren’t going away anytime soon….we simply won’t let them! And while we all like events, we aren’t all great at planning them from start to finish.…
When I got the privilege of writing this I thought “Sweet! Can’t wait… hope it’s not on teaching.” Dead serious. Then I got the topic. Holy goodness. Some of us are gifted at the whole preaching/teaching gig… others of us just survive this part of the job.…
Lifeguard training isn’t easy. I have to admit, there was one time in particular I thought I was going to die. We were doing life-saving drills. One person had to lie flat at the bottom of the pool – the drowning victim.…
There are many areas in which youth pastors could use some major improvement. I don’t mean this as a knock against the whole of youth ministry, but that personally and individually, we all know where we are weakest. (Bonus tip: If you don’t know where you are weakest, you can be a better youth pastor by figuring out your strengths and weaknesses.)…
I will never forget the day, it was a few years ago and I was meeting my former Sunday School teacher for lunch. The cool thing was that after almost 15 years from being in his class we were still friends and we still get together for lunch from time to time.…
Heading into the Christmas season is a great time for reflection and evaluation. Certainly some of that energy needs to be focused on your ministry, but don’t forget to make sure your mentoring relationships are in order, too. Here is one simple strategy to consider: Look Forward – Who Is Leading You?…
The first article addressed the frequently asked question about tips for maintaining your ministry for the long run when just starting out. The article addressed the need to have a team of friends to do ministry with, and when you see them as your friends you feel encouraged and as though you are not alone in the journey.…
From time to time we’re going to take a pause form the normal posts to answer a few questions from you: The youth ministry nation. Here are a couple we have recently received: I’m just starting out! What are some things you did early on in your ministry career that helped you make it for the long haul?…
