I’ve just had another one of those classic youth ministry conversations. The one where a church member or youth worker is complaining to you about the fact that 10 of their best kids have started going to the new super duper youth group down the road.…
Fact: This article is made up of short sentences. Fact: Volunteers are the key to this whole thing.Fact: Time management probably isn’t your strong suit, is it?Fact: Success in youth ministry is way, way more than increased attendance.Fact: It will never all be “done” when you go to sleep at night.Fact:…
When I started out in youth ministry seventeen years ago, there were few books to help guide new youth pastors. In fact, I often find myself feeling jealous that those entering youth ministry today have so many resources available to them.…
Give up. Walk away. Look for greener pastures. For many of us, it’s the typical response when the reality of ministry differs greatly from the expectations we had when we took the job. When I reconnect with former classmates from Bible college, and ask them if they are still in their place of ministry, they reluctantly tell me they have since moved on to a couple of destinations in search of the utopia of youth ministry-only to never be satisfied.…
I’m troubled by a thought that crept into my head the other day: In my youth ministry is Jesus the Master or the mascot? First, let me explain the difference. When Jesus is the Master, our youth ministries look like this: – Teenagers are coming to Jesus and being baptized.…
On my way back from the city dump, I wondered what a job description for a youth pastor should really look like. It would take more volumes than Encyclopedia Britannica to list all the jobs that we do. So, for the sake of time and sanity, I’ve only listed a few of the occupations that I have experienced under the title of youth pastor.…
We’re in no hurry, God. We’re content to linger in the path sign-posted with your decisions. Who you are and what you’ve done are all we’ll ever want (Isaiah 26:8 MSG). Isaiah spoke of a time when the people of God would find complete rest and peace and hope in God.…
A huge struggle in student ministry is unity. How do we take a group of students who seem to be totally different from one another and make them a unified Christian front? How do we foster a caring community that has residents who are all on the same page and know and care for one another?…
Over the past few years, I have noticed more and more students telling me they not only don’t care about leadership, they actually hate it. How can you hate leadership? What did it ever do to you? As it turns out, lots of bad stuff.…
In youth ministry, we often talk about having healthy and growing ministries. We all know that numbers do not always reflect the health or growth of a ministry. But if our ministries are not growing in their relationships (with students, parents, volunteers), ministry opportunities, biblical purposes, then there may be something hindering what God could be doing.…
