One of my favorite things to do is speak to middle school and high school students. Over the years of being privileged to do this at weekend retreats, I’ve learned that I need to keep an open mind about what to expect.…
Does your church or youth ministry need small groups? Allen White had a great post on this and it got me thinking about the varying forms of community that people of all ages crave at different levels: Massive: Conferences, conventions, concerts, local cross-church gatherings and multi-youth group mission trips can serve this.…
I should probably clarify that I don’t normally go dumpster diving. It was simply a matter of timing – I drove by a local Steak-n-Shake that was closing and saw employees tossing out cases of unused sundae glasses. I scored three dozen, just like that.…
“You’ll only have to volunteer for a little while.” You’ve heard that one before, right? You may have even said it. It’s not the only lie you’ll hear or tell in church. For the record, this is not meant to be a “church critique” article. …
“Rob Bell is in the news again.” My wife mentioned this to me the other day. I wasn’t aware of all the details in that moment, so I simply sighed. Bell made headlines this week via an interview he and his wife took part in with Oprah Winfrey.…
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.…
A serving experience is likely in your future. It’s no secret that many youth groups take part in an annual spring, summer, fall or winter mission trip. You can either throw students into these opportunities, or see the time between now and then as its own opportunity of preparation.…
I’d like to tell you two stories. The first story involves how bands shift players around. It’s just the way it works. It’s rare to find the original group together like they when everything started. Audio Adrenaline, a Christian rock band that rose to fame in the mid-nineties, is no exception.…
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.…
I realize the title of this post is a bit invasive. It assumes you’re hiding a particular sin. I once worked with someone who thought this way and spoke out often on the subject. He’d say to just about anyone, “I really have a hard time believing that you’re not hiding something sinful.”…
