Flipping Missions
I can’t believe how many opportunities I’ve wasted taking students on mission trips. I know I’m not the only one. Mission trips are an amazing idea…but what we tend to do with them (or not do with them) is the real issue.…
Tag: outreach
At the Edge of the Cliff: Reaching Beyond the Walls
Jesus announced to his hometown that he was their long-awaited messiah. The people were excited and proud. That was until Jesus announced he was also messiah to the Gentiles. The Jews, having no desire to associate with Gentiles, were outraged.…
Mission Trips – the Other Side of the Mat
You’ve likely heard the debate about mission trips. On one hand, books and blog posts have cited their potential to do more harm than good. A handful of people with significant platforms have argued that it’s better to send money and prayer-fueled encouragement than a short-term team to do tangible work the locals can do themselves.…
An Argument Against “Service Projects”
A guest post by Aaron Kirkpatrick at RethinkingYouthMinistry.com offers this compelling thought against involving youth in “service projects”: A project is a job. A project is an assignment. A project is something that must get done, regardless of whether you actually want to do it.…
Say It, Even if You Have to Spray It
Let’s be honest… evangelism weirds most Christians out. We fear doing “bad evangelism” to the point that we do the worst kind of evangelism… we say nothing. We’re afraid of becoming a stereotype. Perhaps that’s why I was so inspired by a street preacher I recently encountered while driving by his spot on a local corner.…
The “Other” Homeschool Questions in Youth Ministry…
Yesterday, the monthly youth worker network meeting was hosted by one of the largest churches in our region. While I was there I noticed something different. School was not yet in session for the local schools, but there was a group of teenagers and parents that were at the church, and school books were present, and they were headed for the gym.…
Talking Trash with Students Who Want to Serve
I’d advertised the opportunity well. “You’re invited to join our Student Leadership Team.” It was my second week at the church, and the students didn’t know me or what to expect from this invite. All they knew was that whomever was on this team would become point leaders in our youth group.…
The Enemy of Outreach
The enemy of outreach… is outreach. It seems like every church has some advocate for its “outreach.” This could be a person in an official ministry role, be it paid or volunteer. In some situations, the pastor is the primary advocate (especially if he/she has a spiritual gifting in this area).…
