At the National Youth Workers Convention, we stopped youth workers from all across the U.S. and asked them to share a 10-second youth ministry tip.
The 10-Second Tip:
Be authentic with your students. The more authentic you are with them, the better and deeper your ministry will go.
My added thoughts:
Students have this amazing ability to know when adults aren’t being authentic with them. Choose to be the real you around your students. Don’t be afraid to embrace your nerdiness, your awkwardness, your inability to dance, your early 90’s cultural references, or whatever it may be. When you do, students will understand 2 things:
1) Your youth ministry is a safe place for anyone to be authentic.
2) When you say you care about them, you’re being honesty about that too.
Be the real you and create room for everyone else in your ministry to embrace authenticity too.
Join us this year for the National Youth Workers Convention in Cincinnati, OH for way more tips and ministry ideas from the 50+ seminars and training opportunities. Register early for NYWC to save BIG: NYWC.COM.
JACOB ECKEBERGER is the Content Manager at Youth Specialties, an itinerant worship leader, the spouse of a church planter, and a long time volunteer youth worker. You can find him blogging about social media and digital strategy ideas at JACOBECKEBERGER.COM.