Discipleship that doesn’t trigger a visceral physical reaction or evoke emotion in young people won’t get past their starting gate. Current research is proving that unless we somehow get access to the brain’s emotional center, triggering the area responsible for the decisions young people make, all we’re really doing is dispensing data that’s quickly filed away in the brain’s warehouse, where it gathers dust.…
Let the students lead… Claire is a sophomore in my ministry. Last year, she and her mom bought tickets to the Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas—yes, it was that concert. A gunman in a hotel room above the concert venue opened fire, killing 59 people.…
As a teenager active in my church, I knew I “should” read the Bible. My youth workers often referenced their “morning quiet time”—I imagined them sitting in an overstuffed chair bathed in soft lighting, sipping fancy coffee, dissecting the original Greek meaning of “the” and “is.”…
Here’s a disclaimer: I’m in the process of thinking through what this looks like for my youth ministry. I don’t have all the answers, but I do believe the Holy Spirit has been pressing on my heart to start the conversation, which I’ve done with my Impact leaders.…
If teen spending in the U.S. tell us anything about what teens care about most, it may not surprise you to know that they spend 21% of their budget on clothing and 20% on food (according to investment management firm Piper Jaffray’s 2014 report on teen spending).…
Today our hearts and prayers are with the city of Charleston and the members of Emanuel. The horrific shootings that have occurred in our communities, remind us that we live in uncertain times. Yes, we should pray for the people involved, and we should also seriously think through the safety of our students and ministry.…
The journey to inclusion is the road less traveled. It’s a road I didn’t even see until I had my own wrestling match with God. I’d been traveling a safe youth ministry road. This safe road led me to teens who were like me, where I challenged students and didn’t allow them to challenge me.…
I totally revamped my approach to small groups in our ministry recently. We have tried a multitude of curriculums, ideas, books, formulas and approaches. It has been topical and as simple as opening the Bible and walking verse by verse. Still I was finding an interesting trend.…
